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The Jewel Series 


THE DIAMOND STORY BOOK. Com- 
piled by pENRHYN W. CoussENS. Illus- 
trations in color by Ethel Green. . .net SI. 75 

THE EMERALD STORY BOOK. SioHes 
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in color by Maxfield Parrish net $1.75 

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and Legends of Winter, Christmas and 
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THE GARNET STORY BOOK. Tales 
of Cheer both Old and New. Compiled 
by Ada M. and Eleanor L. Skin- 
ner. Frontispiece in color by Du- 
gald S. Walker net $1.75 






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Drawn by Dugald Stewart Walker 

A SINGER OF SONGS AND A TELLER OF TALES. 



THE 

GARNET STORY BOOK 


Tales of Cheer Both Old and New 


COMPILED AND EDITED BY 

ADA M. §KINNER 

AND 

ELEANOR L. SKINNER 

Editors of "The Emerald Story Book” "The Topaz Story Book’l 
"The Turquoise Story Book” and "The Pearl Story Book’l 



NEW YORK 

DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 

19*0 



Copyright, 1920, by 
DUFFIELD & COMPANY 


) • 



©CI.A561<J49 • 

FEB 21 1320 


/ 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The Good-Natured Bear 

(adapted and abridged) . .Richard H. Horne 3 

Christmas Wishes Louise Chollet 73 

The Man of Snow (adapted) . .Harriet Myrtle 93 

Butterwops (adapted) . . .Edward Abbott Parry 120 

Finikin and His Golden Pippins 

Madame De Chatelaine 138 

The Story of Fairyfoot Frances Browne 173 

The Snow-Queen (abridged) 

Hans Christian Andersen 192 

The Merry Tale of the King and the Cob- 
bler (adapted) 

From Gammer Gurton^s Historie 253 
The Story of Merrymind Frances Browne 268 



INTRODUCTION 


About the middle of the last century there 
was printed in England a children’s story with 
the attractive title, “The Good Natured Bear.” 
This story, written by Robert H. Horne, was 
reviewed by William Makepeace Thackeray, 
who at that time signed his criticisms M. A. 
Titmarsh. Mr. Thackeray wrote an article 
entitled “On Some Illustrated Children’s 
Books” for Fraser* s Magazine in which he 
made the following comment: “Let a word 
be said in conclusion about the admirable 
story of “The Good Natured Bear,” one of 
the wittiest, pleasantest, and kindest of books 
that I have read for many a long day.” 

A few years ago the editors of this collec- 
tion of stories found out-of-print copies of 
“The Good Natured Bear,” “The Man of 
Snow,” and “Finikin and His Golden Pip- 
pins” — all old-fashioned tales for children, 
i 


ii INTRODUCTION 

Believing that young readers of to-day will 
enjoy the good cheer and merry humour of 
these stories, the editors have included them 
in this volume with other happy tales which 
are perhaps much better known. 

The excellent humourous stories in the folk- 
lore of all nations point out to us that good 
cheer and merriment were favourite themes 
of the olden-time story-teller. Some of his 
rarest treasures were nonsense rhymes, fables, 
and allegories which enlisted the sympathy of 
his audience by inducing them to laugh with 
him. With a merry twinkle in his eye we can 
hear him addressing the tiniest listeners: 

^‘Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, 
The cow jumped over the moon; 

The little dog laughed to see such sport 
And the dish ran away with the spoon.^’ 

Wide-eyed children pressing close to the en- 
chanter were not the only persons in that ap- 
preciative audience who smiled at the first 
picture suggested by the rhyme, laughed with 
the little dog, and enjoyed with wholesome 


INTRODUCTION 


111 


abandon the merriment called forth by the in- 
congruous surprise of the last line. The story- 
teller knew the refreshing value of hearty 
laughter at pure nonsense. 

The stories in this collection were written 
by authors who had the precious gift of know- 
ing how to entertain young readers with nar- 
ratives of good cheer and happy frolic. Such 
stories are valuable because they keep alive 
and develop a wholesome sense of humour. It 
is perfectly natural for a normal child to laugh 
heartily at the grotesque antics of a circus 
clown. But this elemental response to merry 
fun should be trained and quickened into a 
rich and varied sense of humour which can 
laugh with Gareth when Lancelot unhorses 
him; revel with Puck in Fairyland; and en- 
joy a merry Christmas with the Cratchits. 


THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


Oh, for a nook and a story book, 

With tales both new and old; 

For a jolly good book whereon to look 
Is better to me than gold! 

Old English Song. 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 
Richard H. Horne 
The First Evening 

One Christmas evening a number of merry 
children were invited to a party at Dr. Little- 
pump’s country residence. The neat white 
house with blue shutters stood on the best 
street of the village. Nancy and her younger 
brother, little Valentine, were the children of 
Dr. Littlepump, and they had invited several 
other children to come and spend Christmas 
evening with them. Very happy they all 
were. They danced to the music of a flute 
and fiddle; they ran about and sang and 
squeaked and hopped upon one leg and crept 

3 


4 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

upon all fours and jumped over small cush- 
ions and stools. Then they sat down in a 
circle round the stove and laughed at the fire. 

Besides Dr. and Mrs. Littlepump and the 
children there were several others in the room 
who joined in the merriment. First there was 
Margaret who was seated in the middle of the 
group of children. She was the pretty gov- 
erness of Nancy and little Valentine and one 
of the nicest girls in the village. Then there 
were Lydia, the housemaid, Dorothea, the 
cook, Wallis, the gardener, and Uncle Abra- 
ham, the younger brother of Dr. Littlepump. 

Uncle Abraham was always doing kind 
things in his quiet way, and everybody was 
very fond of him. He sat in one corner of 
the room, with his elbow resting upon a little 
round table, smoking a large Dutch pipe, and 
very busy with his own thoughts. Now and 
then his eyes gave a twinkle, as if he was 
pleased with something in his mind. 

The children now all asked Margaret to 
sing a pretty song, which she did at once with 
her sweet voice; but the words were very odd. 
This was the song: 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 


“There came a rough-faced Stranger 
From the leafless winter woods, 

And he told of many a danger 

From the snow-storms and black floods. 

“On his back he bore the glory 
Of his brothers, who were left 

In a secret rocky cleft — 

Now guess his name, and story!” 

“But who was the rough-faced Stranger?” 
asked Nancy. 

“And what was the glory he carried oick-a- 
back?” cried little Valentine. 

“Who were his brothers?” 

“Where was the rocky cleft?” cried three 
or four of the children. 

“Oh,” said Margaret, “you must guess!” 

So all the children began guessing at this 
song- riddle; but they could make nothing 
of it. 

“Do tell us the answer to the riddle 
Margaret,” they coaxed. 

At last Margaret said, “Well, I promise to 
tell you all about the rough-faced Stranger in 


6 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

half an hour, if nothing happens to make you 
forget to ask me!” 

“Oh! we shall not forget to ask,” said 
Nancy. 

There was now a silence for a few minutes 
as if the children were all thinking. Uncle 
Abraham, who sometimes went to bed very 
early, slowly rose from his chair, lighted his 
candle, carefully snuffed it (and, as he did so, 
his eyes gave a twinkle), and walking round 
the outside of all the circle, wished them 
good-night, and away he went to bed. 

About eight o’clock in the evening, when 
the snow lay deep upon the ground, a very 
stout gentleman in a very rough coat and 
fur boots got down from the outside of a car- 
riage which had stopped in front of Dr. Little- 
pump’s door. In a trice all the children 
crowded around the windows to look at the 
carriage and the gentleman who had got down. 

Besides his very rough coat and fur boots, 
the stout gentleman wore a short cloak, a hunt- 
ing cap, and a pair of large fur gloves. The 
cap was pulled down almost over his eyes, so 
that his face could not be seen, and round his 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 7 

throat he had an immense orange-coloured 
comforter. 

The carriage now drove on, and left the 
stout gentleman standing in the middle of the 
street. He first shook the snow from his cloak. 
After this he began to stamp with his feet to 
warm them. This movement looked like a 
clumsy dance in a little circle and all the chil- 
dren laughed. The next thing he did was to 
give himself a good rubbing on the breast and 
he hit it so awkwardly that it looked like a 
great clumsy paw on some creature giving 
itself a scratch. At this the children laughed 
louder than before. They were almost afraid 
he would hear it through the windows. The 
stout gentleman next drew forth an immense 
pocket handkerchief and with this he began 
to dust his face, to knock off the frost, and 
also to warm his nose, which seemed to be very 
large and long and to require great attention. 
When the children saw the gentleman do this 
they could keep quiet no longer; all burst out 
into a loud shout of laughter. 

The stout gentleman instantly stopped, and 
began to look around him in all directions, to 


8 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


see where the laughing came from. The chil- 
dren suddenly became quiet. The stout gen- 
tleman turned round and round, looking up 
and down at the windows of every house near 
him. At last his eyes rested on the three par- 
lour windows of Dr. Littlepump’s house, 
which were crowded with faces. No sooner 
had he done this than he walked towards the 
house with a long stride and an angry air. 

In an instant all the children ran away from 
the windows crying out, “Here he comes! 
Here he comes!” 

Presently a scraping was heard upon the 
steps of the door, then a loud knock! The 
children all ran to their seats and sat quite 
silent, looking at one another. There was a 
loud ringing of the bell. 

“I am sorry,” said Mrs. Littlepump, “that 
the stout gentleman is so much offended.” 

“I don’t know very well what to say to him,” 
said Dr. Littlepump. 

Again came the ringing of the bell! 

Not one of them liked to go to open the 
door. 

Margaret rose to go and little Val cried 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 9 

out, ^^Oh, don’t you go, Margaret, dearest; let 
Wallis go.” But when Margaret promised to 
run away as soon as she had opened the door, 
she was allowed to go. Both Nancy and Val- 
entine called after her, ^‘Be sure to run back 
to us as fast as ever you can.” 

The children sat listening with all their 
ears. Presently they did hear something. It 
was the snap of the lock, the creaking of the 
door, and a scrambling noise. Margaret came 
running back into the room quite out of 
breath, crying out, “Oh, such a nose! Such a 
dirty face! Don’t ask me anything!” 

There was no time for any questions. A 
slow, heavy footstep was heard in the hall, 
then in the passage, then the parlour door 
opened wide and in walked the stout gentle- 
man with the rough coat! He had, indeed, an 
immense nose, — both long and broad and as 
dark as the shadow of a hill. He stepped only 
a pace or two into the room and then stood 
still, looking at Dr. Littlepump, who was the 
only other person who ventured to stand up. 

“I believe I have the honour,” said the stout 
gentleman, making a low bow, “I believe I 


lo THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

have the honour of addressing Dr. Little- 
pump.” 

The doctor bowed but said nothing. 

The stout gentleman continued, I had 
not known it was impossible that anyone so 
learned as Dr. Littlepump could allow any- 
body to be insulted from the windows of his 
house, I should have felt very angry on the 
present occasion. It may have made merri- 
ment for our young friends here; but it is a 
serious thing to me.” 

^^Sir,” said Dr. Littlepump, ‘‘it grieves me 
that your feelings should have been hurt by 
the laughter of these children. But, sir, I can 
assure you no harm was meant by it. This is 
holiday time, and, though you appear to be a 
foreign gentleman, yet you are no doubt also 
a gentleman who has seen much of the world, 
and of society.” 

“No, sir; no, Mr. Doctor!” exclaimed the 
stout gentleman, “I have not seen much of 
society. It is true, too true, that I am a for- 
eigner, in some respects, but from society the 
misfortune of my birth has excluded me.” 

“Oh, pray, sir, do not concern yourself any 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR ii 


further on this matter,” said Mrs. Littlepump, 
in a courteous voice. 

“Madam,” said the stout gentleman, “you 
are too kind. It is such very amiable persons 
as yourself, that reconcile me to my species — 
I mean, to the human species. What have I 
said? Not of my species would I willingly 
speak. But in truth, madam, it is my own 
knowledge of what I am, under my coat, that 
makes me always fear my secret has been dis- 
covered. I thought the children with their 
little, quick eyes, always looking about, had 
seen who it was that lived under this rough 
coat I wear.” 

So saying the stout gentleman put one of 
his fur gloves to his left eye and wiped away 
a large tear. 

“Then, my dear sir,” said Mrs. Littlepump, 
“do take off your coat, and permit us to have 
the pleasure of seeing you take a seat among 
us round the stove.” 

“Oh, ye green woods, dark nights, and rocky 
caves hidden with hanging weeds, why do I 
so well remember ye!” exclaimed the stout 
gentleman, clasping his fur gloves together. 


12 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


“I will relieve my mind and tell you all. My 
rough coat, the companion of my childhood, 
and which has grown with my growth, I can- 
not lay aside. It grows to my skin, madam. 
My fur gloves are nature’s gift. They were 
bought at no shop, Mrs. Littlepump. My 
fur boots are as much a part of me as my 
beard. Lady, I am, indeed, a foreigner, as to 
society; I was born in no city, town, or village, 
but in a cave full of dry leaves and soft twigs. 
The truth is, I am not a man — but a Bear!” 

As he finished speaking he took off his com- 
forter, coat, and cap — and sure enough a Bear 
he was, and one of the largest that was ever 
seen! 

In a very soft voice, so as scarcely to be 
heard by any one except the children who had 
crowded around her, Margaret began to sing: 

“There came a rough-faced Stranger 
From the leafless winter woods.” 

The children heard Margaret sing, and ven- 
tured to look up at the Bear. He continued 
to stand near the door, and as he hadn’t the 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 13 

least sign of anything savage in his appear- 
ance, their fear began to change to curiosity. 
Two of the youngest had hidden themselves 
in the folds of Mrs. Littlepump’s dress, and 
little Val had crept under the table. But 
when these found that nothing was going to 
happen, and that the other children did not 
cry out or seem terrified, they peeped out at 
the Bear, — then they peeped again. At about 
the seventh peep they all three left their hid- 
ing places and crowded in among the rest — 
all looking at the Bear! 

trust,” said Dr. Littlepump, ^^that this 
discovery — this casting off all disguise — pro- 
duces no change in the nature and habits you 
have learned in civilized society. I feel sure 
that I am addressing a gentleman, that is to 
say, a most gentlemanly specimen of bear.” 

“Banish all unkind suspicion from your 
breast, Mr. Doctor,” said the Bear. “No one 
ever need fear from me a single rude hug, — 
such as my ancestors were too apt to give.” 

“Oh, we feel quite satisfied,” said Mrs. 
Littlepump, “that your conduct will be of the 
very best kind. Pray take a seat near the fire. 


14 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

The children will all make room for you.” 

The children all made room enough in a 
trice, and more than enough, as they crowded 
back as far as they could and left a large open 
circle opposite the stove. 

The Bear laid one paw upon his grateful 
breast and advanced towards the fireplace. 

^Termit me to begin with warming my 
nose,” he said. 

As the door of the stove was now closed, the 
Bear bent his head down, and moved his nose 
backwards and forwards in a sort of a semi- 
circle, seeming to enjoy it very much. 

‘^As my nose is very long,” said he, “the tip 
of it is the first part that gets- cold because 
it is so far away from my face. I fear it may 
not seem a well-shaped one, but it is a capital 
smeller. I used to be able, when at a distance 
of several miles, to smell — ahem!” 

Here the Bear checked himself suddenly. 
He was going to say something about his life 
at home in the woods that \/ould not be 
thought very nice in Dr. Littlepump’s par- 
lour. But he just caught himself up in time. 
In doing this, however, his confusion at the 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 15 

moment had made him neglect to observe that 
a part of the stove was again red hot. He 
came a little too close and all at once burnt the 
tip of his nose! 

The children would certainly have laughed, 
but as the Bear started back he looked quickly 
round the room. So everybody was afraid to 
laugh. 

^^And you have, no doubt, a very fine ear for 
music, said Mrs. Littlepump, wishing to re- 
lieve the Bear from his embarrassment. 

have, indeed, madam, a fine pair of ears, 
though I know too well that they are rather 
large as to size,” said the Bear. 

^‘By no means too large, sir,” answered Mrs. 
Littlepump. 

^Tf the whole world were hunted through 
and through,” said the Bear, ^T’m sure we 
should never find any other lady so amiable 
in speaking graciously to one of the humblest 
of her servants as Lady Littlepump.” 

We shall be proud, sir, to place you in the 
list of our most particular friends. You are 
so modest, so polite, so handsome a Bear.” 

As Mrs. Littlepump finished this last 


1 6 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

speech, the Bear looked at her for a moment — 
then made three great steps backwards, and 
made a deep bow. His bow was so very low, 
and he remained so very long with his nose 
pointing to the floor that all the children were 
ready to die with laughter. Little Val fell 
upon the floor trying to keep his laugh in, and 
there he lay kicking, and Margaret, who had 
covered her face with her handkerchief, was 
heard to give a sort of a little scream; and 
Nancy had run to the sofa, and covered her 
head with one of the pillows. 

At length the Bear raised his head. He 
looked very pleasant even through all that 
rough hair. Turning to Dr. Littlepump, he 
said, “Mr. Dr. Littlepump, the extreme kind- 
ness of this reception of one who is a stranger 
wins me completely. If you permit me, I will 
tell you the whole story of my life.’’ 

At this speech everybody said, “Do let us 
hear the Bear’s story!” 

It was agreed upon, with many thanks from 
Dr. and Mrs. Littlepump. They placed a 
large chair for the Bear in the middle of the 
room. The Doctor took down Uncle Abra- 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 17 

ham’s Dutch pipe, filled it with the very best 
Turkey tobacco and handed it to the Bear. 
After carefully lighting it and taking a few 
whiffs, and stopping a little while to think, the 
Bear told the following story: 

was born in one of the largest caves in a 
forest. My father and mother were regarded 
not. only by all other bears, but by every other 
animal, as persons of some consequence. My 
father was a person of proud and resentful dis- 
position, though of the greatest courage and 
honour. But my mother was one in whom all 
the qualities of the fairer sex were united. I 
shall never forget the patience, the gentleness, 
the skill, and the firmness with which she first 
taught me to walk alone — I mean to walk on 
all fours, of course; the upright manner of my 
present walking was learned afterwards. As 
this infant effort, however, is one of my very 
earliest recollections, I will give you a little 
account of it.” 

‘^Oh, do, Mr. Bear,” cried Margaret. And 
no sooner had she uttered the words, than all 
the children cried out at the same time, “Oh, 
please do, sir.” 


1 8 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


The Bear took several long whiffs at his 
pipe and thus continued : 

‘‘My mother took me to a retired part of 
the forest, and told me that I must now stand 
alone. She slowly lowered me towards the 
earth. The height as I looked down seemed 
terrible, and I felt my legs kick in the air with 
fear of I know not what. Suddenly I felt four 
hard things, and no motion. It was the fixed 
earth beneath my legs. ‘Now you are stand- 
ing alone !’ said my mother. But what she said 
I heard as in a dream. My back was in the 
air, my nose was poking out straight, snuffing 
the fresh breezes, my ears were pricking and 
shooting with all sorts of new sounds, to won- 
der at, to want to have, to love, or to tumble 
down at, — and my eyes were staring before me 
full of light and dancing things. Soon the 
firm voice of my mother came to my assist- 
ance, and I heard her tell me to look upon the 
earth beneath me, and see where I was. 

First I looked up among the boughs, then 
sideways at my shoulder, then I squinted at 
the tip of my nose, then I bent my nose in de- 
spair, and saw my fore paws standing. The 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 19 

first thing I saw distinctly was a little blue 
flower with a bright jewel in the middle, — a 
dewdrop. The next thing I saw upon the 
ground was a soft-looking little creature, that 
crawled alone with a round ball upon the mid- 
dle of its back. It was of a beautiful white 
colour with brown and red curling stripes. 
The creature moved very, very slowly, and ap- 
peared always to follow two long horns on its 
head, that went feeling about on all sides. 
Presently, it approached my right fore paw, 
and I wondered how I should feel, or smell, or 
hear it, as it went over my toes. But the instant 
one of the horns touched the hair of my paw, 
both horns shrank into nothing, and presently 
came out again, and the creature slowly moved 
away in another direction. I wondered at this 
strange action — for I never thought of hurting 
the creature, not knowing how to hurt any- 
thing. While I was wondering what made the 
horn think I should hurt it, my attention was 
suddenly drawn to a tuft of moss on my right 
near a hollow tree-trunk. Out of this green 
tuft looked a pair of very bright, small, round 
eyes which were staring up at me. I stood 


20 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

looking at the eyes, and, presently, I saw that 
the head was yellow, and all the face and 
throat yellow, and that it had a large mouth. 

What you saw a little while ago,’ said my 
mother, Ve call a snail. And what we see 
now we call a frog.’ 

The names, however, did not help me at all 
to understand. Why the first should have 
turned from my paw so suddenly, and why this 
creature should continue to stare up at me in 
such a manner puzzled me very much. I now 
observed that its body and breast were double 
somehow, and that its paws had no hair upon 
them. I thought this was no doubt caused by 
its slow crawling which had probably rubbed 
it all off. Suddenly, a beam of bright light 
broke through the trees and this creature gave 
a great hop right under my nose and I, think- 
ing the world was at an end, instantly fell flat 
down on one side and lay there waiting!” 

At this all the children laughed ; they were so 
delighted. The Bear laughed, too, and soon 
went on with his story. 

‘T tell you these things,” he said, “in as clear 
a manner as I can, that you may rightly under- 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 21 


stand them. My dear mother caught me up in 
her arms, saying, ^Oh, thou small bear! thou 
hast fallen flat down, on first seeing a frog 
hop.’ 

The next day my mother gave me my first 
lesson in walking. She took me to a nice, 
smooth, sandy place in the forest, not far from 
home, and setting me down carefully, said, 
Walk.’ But I remained just where I was. 

If a child with only two legs feels puzzled 
which leg it should move first, judge of the 
many puzzles of a young bear under such cir- 
cumstances. Said I to myself, ^Shall I move 
my right front paw first or my left; or my 
right hind leg or my left? Shall I first move 
the two front legs both at the same time, then 
the two hind legs; or my two hind legs first, 
and then my two front legs? Shall I move 
the right front leg, and the right hind leg at 
the same time; or the left front leg and the 
right hind leg? Shall I try to move all four 
at once, and how, and which way? Or shall I 
move three legs at once, in order to push my- 
self on, while one leg remains for me to bal- 
ance my body upon ; and if so, which three legs 


22 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

should move and which one should be the leg 
to balance upon? Amidst all these confusing 
thoughts and feelings, I was afraid to move in 
any way. I believe I should have been stand- 
ing there to this day, had not my mother, with 
a slow bowing and bending motion of the head 
and backbone, gracefully passed and repassed 
me several times, saying, ^Do so, child! — leave 
off thinking, and walk!’ 

My mother was right. As soon as I left 
off thinking about it, I found myself walking. 
Oh, what a wonderful and clever young gen- 
tleman I found myself! I went plowing along 
with such a serious face upon the ground! I 
soon ran my head against one or two trees, and 
a bit of rock, each of which I saw very well 
before I did so; but I thought they would get 
out of my way or slip aside, or that my head 
would go softly through them. My mother, 
therefore, took me up and carried me till we 
arrived within a short distance of our cave. In 
front of it there was a large space of high, 
green grass, through which a regular path had 
been worn by the feet of my father and mother. 
At the beginning of this path, my mother 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 23 

placed me on the ground, and told me I must 
walk to the cave along the pathway all by my- 
self. This was a great task for me. I thought 
I should never be able to keep in such a 
straight line. I felt dizzy as I looked first on 
one side, and then on the other, expecting 
every instant to tumble over into the high, 
green grass, on the right or left. However, I 
managed to get to the cave without any acci- 
dent.” 

As the Bear finished the last sentence he 
suddenly rose, and drew out from beneath a 
thick tuft of hair on his right side, a very large 
watch, with a broad gold face and a tortoise- 
shell back. 

must go,” said he, hurrying on his short 
cloak, his cap, and comforter, ^‘for it is nearly 
ten o’clock, and before I go to bed I have some 
work to do. But I will come again to-morrow 
night and finish my story. Mrs. Littlepump, 
I am your respectful and grateful, humble 
servant! Mr. Dr. Littlepump, I am also 
yours. Good night to you. Miss Nancy, and to 
you, little Val, and to you, pretty Miss 
Margaret, and to all my young friends, and all 


24 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

the rest. May you all sleep well, and with 
happy dreams!” 

^^Good night,” cried all the children in a 
loud chorus. ^‘Oh, be sure to come to-morrow 
evening!” 

“Good night, Mr. Bear!” cried everybody, 
while the stout gentleman bustled, and hustled, 
and rustled, and scuffled out of the room, and 
along the passage, and out of the street door, 
and into the street, where he was soon lost sight 
of in the snow which was now falling very 
fast. 


Second Evening 

The next evening, about dusk, all the chil- 
dren who had been visiting Nancy and Valen- 
tine came again in a troop, scrambling and 
crowding at the door to get in first. They 
were so anxious to hear the remainder of the 
Bear’s story. As they all came into the room, 
they cried out, “Is he come? — ^When will he 
come?” 

Dr. Littlepump walked up and down the 
room with an air of serious anxiety; anyone 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 25 

could see he had something on his mind. Mrs. 
Littlepump also said more than once that she 
hoped no accident would happen on the road 
to prevent the coming of Mr. Bear. Margaret 
now became very anxious and fidgetty, and 
looked at Uncle Abraham, as though she was 
a little vexed at his indifference about the 
event in which everybody else took so much 
interest. Dorothea, Lydia, and Wallis, all 
said they, for their parts, had been unable to 
sleep all last night for thinking of the stout 
gentleman’s story. But nothing of all this 
seemed to move Uncle Abraham, who sat 
smoking his Dutch pipe and twinkling his 
eyes. Presently, however, the clock struck 
five, and he rose from his chair, saying he 
must go and make a little visit a few doors off 
before he went to bed. They all begged him 
very hard to stay and see Mr. Bear, but he 
shook his head, and said, “Pooh” and walked 
away. Margaret looked pleased when he was 
gone, but the children said it was very naughty 
of him not to stay. 

Margaret said, “Let us play a little game 
until Mr. Bear arrives.” 


26 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


‘Tes,” said all the children. 

They began to play the game, but they did 
not attend to it. Their minds were too much 
filled with the expectation of Mr. Bear. 

‘^Oh, I do hope the gentleman Bear will be 
sure to come/’ cried little Val. 

As he said this they very plainly heard the 
sound of a horse’s hoofs coming up the street. 
They all ran to the window. What was their 
surprise and delight to see that it was the Bear 
on horseback! As the horse stopped* before 
Dr. Littlepump’s door, the stout gentleman in 
the rough coat bent forward, then let himself 
slowly down, hanging carefully till his fur 
boots touched the ground. At this all the chil- 
dren burst out laughing; but instantly recol- 
lecting themselves, they ran away from the 
windows, and scrambled into seats round the 
stove, coughing a little, to pretend it had been 
only that. And now a knock was heard at the 
door and a loud ring! Margaret ran and 
opened the door and in came the Bear. 

Everybody was so glad to see him. Wallis 
and Margaret helped him to take off his cloak 
and comforter. Mrs. Littlepump begged him 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 27 

to take a seat near the stove. Dorothea pre- 
sented him with a large cup of nice coffee, hot, 
and strong, and very sweet, and Dr. Little- 
pump handed him Uncle Abraham’s pipe. 

Everybody being now comfortably settled, 
the Bear rose from his chair, and, bowing all 
round, looked at Dr. Littlepump and said, 
‘^Mr. Dr. Littlepump, let me know what is the 
wish of our young friends here?” 

“Oh, Mr. Good-Natured Bear!” cried 
Nancy, “do please continue your delightful 
story!” 

The Bear laid one paw upon his heart, — 
bowed — sat down — and after looking thought- 
fully into the bowl of his pipe for a few min- 
utes, as if to collect his ideas, thus continued : 

“At the foot of our cave, there was, as I have 
told you, a plot of high, green grass with a 
path through it up to the entrance. At the 

back of the rock in which the cave was, there 

/ 

grew several fine old oak trees, and some young 
elms, all promising to become very tall and 
beautiful. My father was very fond of walk- 
ing alone among those fine trees. 

One afternoon he was taking a nap on our 


28 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

bed of leaves in the cave, when he was aroused 
by a noise at the back of the rock, among the 
trees. The sound was that of a number of 
hard blows one after another. My father went 
to see what it was, and there he saw a wood- 
man with an axe cutting down the young elms. 
In perfect rage, my father ran towards the 
man, who instantly scampered away as fast as 
he could, crying out: ‘Oh! Oh! Oh!’ 

The next morning as soon as it was light the 
same noise was heard again among the trees. 
Up jumped my father, but my mother, fearing 
some danger, went with him. It was a good 
thing she did so, as the forester had brought 
his two sons with loaded guns to watch for my 
father while the woodman was at work. My 
mother saw the two youths each hiding behind 
a large tree and she begged my father, both for 
her sake and mine, to come away. At last he 
did so, though not without much gruflfness and 
grumbling. 

By the evening the woodman had cut down 
about a third part of the young elms. Then he 
went away, intending to come and carry them 
off in the morning. My mother tried to per- 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 29 

suade my father not to interfere because it was 
too near our home. But my father said they 
were his trees and he could not bear to lose 
them. So at night he collected all the trees 
that were cut down, and carried them, one or 
two at a time, to a river, at a short distance, 
where the current was strong, and threw them 
in with a great splash. Long before morning 
the current had carried them all far away. 

The next day the woodman came with his 
two sons, a team of horses, and ropes to drag 
the trees away. But thefe was not one to be 
seen! After wondering and sitting under an 
oak for an hour, the woodman again went to 
work with his axe and cut down more young 
elm trees. He sent one son back with the 
horses, as they were needed for the plow. 

In the evening the woodman went away as 
before, leaving the trees, and thinking no one 
would steal them a second time. But at night 
my father went as before and threw them all 
into the river. In the morning the woodman 
came again with the team. WhatP cried he, 
‘All gone again ! — it must be the work of some 
fairy! Thieves could never carry away clean 


30 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

out of sight all those heavy young trees, — un- 
less, indeed, it were the Forty Thieves, for it 
would need as many.’ 

Again the woodman cut down the trees and 
now there was not an elm left standing. He 
went away in the evening, as before, leaving 
the trees upon the ground. My father was sal- 
lying out to carry them off in the same way as 
before when my mother said, ^Do not go, Ben- 
jamin (we always spoke in Bear language, 
you know, and not as I talk to you), do not go 
to-night, Benjamin, I beg you!’ 

Why, that unfeeling rascal has cut down 
all my young elms and the next thing you know 
he will cut down my oaks. I will not endure 
it,’ said my father angrily. 

‘But this is by no means certain,’ reasoned 
my mother. ‘He seems to want only the elms. 
And at the worst we could find another cave 
with oaks near it.’ 

‘But not with oaks and a nice river, tool’ 
said my father. 

‘Then the child (meaning me) and I must 
go with you and help to do it as quickly as 
possible. After it is done we will go and sleep 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 31 

for a few nights in the forest over the northern 
hills, for my mind is very uneasy about mat- 
ters,’ said my mother. 

My father laughed and said ‘GOOFF- 
ZUGDT,’ which, in Bear language, means 
^Nonsense!’ 

So we all went out of the cave and worked 
away at a great rate. My father and mother 
carried the largest of the young trees, and I 
such of the smallest as my tender years would 
allow. By midnight we had just finished and 
my father was carrying the last tree, when sud- 
denly a shout was heard and we saw a flash of 
torches! The trees had been seen floating 
downstream, by some men who were coming 
to watch for the thieves, or to see if it was the 
work of fairies. 

^Cross the stream, higher up, and run for 
the northern hills,’ shouted my mother. At 
the same time she seized me by one ear in her 
mouth and lugged me along till we came to 
the river bank. Instantly she soused me into 
the water. When I came to the surface, I in- 
stantly felt my ear again in my mother’s warm 
mouth, and we soon landed on the other side. 


^2 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

My father was not with us. We took it for 
granted that he had run in some other direc- 
tion, and would rejoin us shortly. The shouts, 
however, followed us and so did the men with 
torches. My mother never once looked be- 
hind, but ran, lugging me along by one ear, 
through fields and woods, up hill and down 
dale. At last she laid me on some warm leaves 
under thick bushes. But my father did not 
join us. We never saw him again. He was 
captured and taken to the village. 

My poor father was now lost to us; there- 
fore, my mother set herself busily to work at 
my education. She divided every day into va- 
rious portions; and although a large share was 
given to amusement in which I played with 
several young bears of my own age, and had 
sometimes a gambol with other young animals, 
still there was nothing that gave me more 
pleasure than the lessons I received from her. 
For this purpose she would generally take me 
into some quiet part of the wood. There, 
under a wide-spreading tree, she taught my 
young ideas ^how to shoot!’ One lesson in par- 
ticular, I remember, as she took great pains 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 33 

to impress it on my memory. I have followed 
the idea in all my conduct through life and I 
can truly say with the best results to myself. I 
will recite for you the verse which tells the les- 
son she taught 

Oh! thou small Bear, 

Learn to bear, and forbear, 

And of good luck, or good friends, never de- 
spair. 

A few days after I had received this les- 
son, I found myself placed in a situation which 
needed the good advice of the little verse. An 
extremely well-behaved young pig, and a very 
merry little fox, with whom I was playing, 
asked me what I had been doing the other day 
near a certain hollow tree. I told them I often 
collected acorns there in the morning and went 
in the evening to eat them. They said no 
more, and we went on playing round about the 
trees — and sometimes climbing up them — that 
is — the merry little fox and I did this. The 
young wild pig could not. But after that day, 
whenever I collected acorns in the morning 


34 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

and put them into the hollow tree, and then 
went at night to eat them, they were all gone! 

One evening, however, as I was returning 
home after my disappointment and wondering 
who it could be, I heard a laughing in the 
thickets, and entering suddenly there I saw the 
little fox and my friend the wild pig who 
were just going to run away when they saw 
me. They both looked very foolish as our eyes 
met. So the thought struck me that they were 
the thieves, and I at once accused them. The 
wild pig became angry and denied that he had 
stolen a single acorn. He said he would not be 
called a thief by anybody. The little fox said 
he had never eaten a single acorn in all his 
life, nor had his father before him. Also, he 
said he would not be called a glutton by any- 
body. 

On hearing this I understood how it all 
was. ^Jemmy,’ said I, fixing my eyes upon 
the little fox, ^emmy! you know very well 
that you stole my acorns. We have often 
played together and this is the first bad trick 
you have served me. You know I am quite 
able to punish you severely, and take your tail 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 35 

away from you. But I forgive you this time.’ 

Then I turned to the young wild pig and 
said, ^Hugo, you have eaten my acorns. You 
know that I am stronger than you, that I could 
throw my arms around your neck and give 
you such a one! (meaning a hard hug) — but I 
forbear for the sake of our old friendship. I 
feel sure this will never happen again, and, no 
doubt, we shall all be better friends than 
ever.’ 

At this, the little fox shed a great many 
tears, and continued to rub his eyes with his 
little yellow brush for five minutes afterwards. 
The wild young pig stood silently for some 
time, as if he were trying to understand all 
about it. When he did speak it was only 
— but I thought he felt what I had said. 

At night, when we were going to bed, I 
told the whole story to my mother. She said 
I had acted rightly, according to what she had 
taught me in the verse. Tor what,’ said she, 
‘would have been the use of beating and 
squeezing the young thieves? It would not 
have brought back the acorns, and would have 
made them both enemies in the future, ready 


36 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

to steal anything. But as it is you have got two 
friends, and lost nothing.’ 

After thinking a moment, I said, ‘Yes, 
Mother, but I’ve lost my acorns!’ 

‘They are not more lost than if you had 
eaten them,’ said my mother. ‘When a thing 
is eaten, it is lost. All you have to complain of 
is that the wild young pig ate them for you. 
But as you have forgiven him of course you 
ought to think no more of the matter. Act 
thus through life toward your fellow crea- 
tures. Do so for the sake of the verse I taught 
you, and trust to nature for good results. 
Now, child, go to sleep.’ 

In this manner I passed my early youth and 
was just coming to my full size and strength 
when the dreadful thing happened which I 
spoke of when I first had the honour of talking 
to the present company. It was the terrible 
thing which made me an orphan in the world. 

We were greeted one evening by a ver}! 
ragged but wise old ape who had managed to 
escape from the menagerie in the big city. He 
was disguised as a Chinese tea-merchant, and 
he begged a night’s lodging, as he thought 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 37 

himself out of all danger. He told us news 
about my poor father. He was put in a me- 
nagerie in the village and there he grieved 
himself to death. 

My mother never recovered after this sad 
news. She made no complaint, nor did she ap- 
pear to give way to grief, but she gradually 
sank, and sank. Her feet failed her and her 
teeth fell out. One night, in a more than usu- 
ally affectionate manner she had her last talk 
with me. She told me to act always with hon- 
esty, truth, and good feeling towards everyone; 
to bear all injuries and misfortunes as firmly as 
I could. She begged me in all dealings to 
keep from feelings of revenge and hatred. 
She then gave me an embrace, and told me to 
sleep well, and remember her words. In the 
morning I found her lying dead upon the 
moist green grass, with her head gently resting 
upon one paw. 

As the. Bear uttered these last words, he 
seemed overcome with many feelings and 
thoughts of other years. Then, suddenly ris- 
ing from his chair, he hastily put on his hat 
and cloak, and hurried out of the room. His 


38 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

friends heard the sound of the street-door clos- 
ing, and two of the children ran on tiptoe to 
the window; but he was out of sight. 

Third Evening 

The next evening the children all met again, 
in the hope that the Good-Natured Bear 
would come to finish his story. 

“I am so much afraid he will never come 
again,” said Nancy. “What shall we do* 
“What shall we do?” echoed all the chil- 
dren. 

“For my part, I think that he will come,” 
said Mrs. Littlepump. 

“I am sure I hope so,” said Margaret. 
“Dear, how my heart beats!” 

“Your heart beats for Mr. Bear?” said Dr. 
Littlepump, looking hard at Margaret, who 
instantly blushed up to her eyes, and her ears 
were as red as ripe cherries. 

“Oh, I do so wish ” said little Valentine, 

and then he stopped. 

“What do you wish, Valentine?” asked Mr. 
Doctor, looking at his watch. 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 39 

wish we had Jemmy here!” 

“Jemmy! what Jemmy?” inquired Mr. Doc- 
tor with a serious face. 

“Why, Jemmy, the merry little fox with the 
yellow brush tail!” said Val. 

At this moment the clock struck six, and 
without any knocking, or ringing, or any other 
announcement, the parlour door opened and in 
walked Mr. Bear! 

He bowed with his usual politeness; but 
he had a more than usual air of gravity and 
some appearance of anxiety. Margaret placed 
his chair for him and this seemed to please 
him. 

“I thank you. Miss Margaret,” said he, and 
he soon became cheerful. 

Looking around with a smile, and particu- 
larly at Margaret, he asked if he might go on 
with his story. 

“Oh, do. Sir! — please do!” cried a dozen 
voices at once. So he continued as follows : 

“I must now tell you about my own captiv- 
ity, and I fear there were several times when 
I did not follow my mother’s advice but really 
lost my temper for some minutes. I had 


40 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

scarcely reached my full growth when a party 
of hunters came to the forest where I lived 
and surprising me while I was asleep, caught 
me fast in a very strong rope net. I made a 
great struggle. Three of the hunters stepped 
a few paces back and leveled their guns with 
the intention of shooting me. At this moment 
an immense wild pig rushed out of a thicket 
and crying ^oulf !’ charged right upon the three 
hunters — knocked them all three flat upon 
their backs like ninepins — and then dashed 
into the thicket on the opposite side! Up 
jumped the three hunters, very angry, and in- 
stantly fired their guns into the thicket after 
the wild pig. But he was out of their reach. 
Another of the hunters was now about to thrust 
his spear at me when suddenly he gave a loud 
cry, and flung his spear at a tree, close to the 
foot of which we saw a large yellow and red 
brush tail whisk round. 

‘Oh,’ cried the hunter. ‘Some rascal of a 
fox has bitten me in the foot!’ 

I need not tell you who these two forest 
friends were who had thus saved my life. You 
have already guessed. 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 41 

‘Temmy and Hugo,” whispered the chil- 
dren. 

‘Temmy and Hugo, grown up !” nodded Mr. 
Bear. 

“The hunters now began to talk together 
about whether I might not be of more value 
to them alive in a menagerie than if they killed 
me. They spoke of my rich, bright, brown-col- 
oured fur, my large size, my youth. At length 
they decided to send me to a menagerie. Some 
of them said that a live bear was a great 
trouble on a long journey. 

I now saw that it was of no use to make any 
further struggle among so many armed men, 
so I became very quiet. The cords that bound 
me had become partially loose at the arms. 
The son of the hunter, who had been about to 
kill me with his spear, happened to come close 
to me. I slowly freed one paw and instead 
of seizing the boy roughly, I slowly raised 
myself to an upright position behind his back 
and then patted him gently upon the top of his 
head. This surprised, amused, and won the 
hearts of all the hunters. They said it was 
quite impossible to kill such a good-natured 


42 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

bear, and from that day they called me The 
Good-Natured Bear, 

I remember very well an event of my jour- 
ney with my captors, which led to my learning 
to dance. We were all seated in a pleasant 
wood at sunset. One of the men drew forth 
a clarionet, another a horn and began to play. 
For the fisrt time in my life I heard what you 
call music. I was filled with joy, and, being 
quite unable to control myself, I rose on my 
hind legs of my own accord, and stepped in 
time to the music. At this the hunters Icos- 
ened the ropes which held me and gave me 
more freedom. In this upright position I 
stepped to the middle of an open green space 
and continued to keep time to the merry tune 
which was played. The hunters shouted and 
laughed and laughed arid shouted. The music 
became faster and louder. Round and round 
I waltzed, and the trees all began to dance 
round me, too. Then the green ground span 
round about, carrying all the hunters and the 
music in a swift, dizzy circle round me. I 
feared I was going mad and I determined to 
save myself. Therefore, I collected all my 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 43 

willpower and stopped turning. The instant 
I stood still, the ground slipped from beneath 
my feet, and away I rolled to the bottom of a 
hill, where I fell asleep. 

From this time, I continually practised 
walking upright. At first it was very difficult 
to walk for any distance on my hind feet. I 
could not help bending my nose and looking 
all down my right side, then all down my left 
side, and so from side to side, for I seemed 
such a height above the ground. Also, in or- 
der to keep my balance, I was obliged to give 
my weight first on one leg, then on the other, 
without lifting them from the ground. 

My captors took me to a menagerie, where 
I was more than comfortable. My food was 
very good and my water was always clear and 
fresh. I also had far more liberty than any 
other animal. I believe this kindness was 
shown me because I showed no anger or hatred 
towards anyone, also, I was very careful not to 
frighten or hurt any of the children, who came 
near me. 

In time I became the principal object of 
attraction in this menagerie. Crowds came 


44 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

daily and stood in front of my cell and looked, 
and pointed, and often spoke to me till at last 
I came to see that I was regarded as a surpris- 
ing example of wisdom, although I did not 
understand one word they spoke to me, except 
when they also made signs. Sometimes, how- 
ever, I was able to connect sounds with signs, 
so that I actually learned the meaning of many 
words. Then first came to me the great desire 
to learn human speech. I thought since I 
had learned the meaning of many words why 
could I not learn many more? And when' I 
had learned certain sounds thoroughly why 
could I not imitate those words, so as to speak 
as well as understand? 

I determined to do this if possible and I 
studied very hard. I listened very carefully 
all day to those whom I heard speaking and 
at night I practised my voice. At first I could 
make no sound at all like words, but only 
strange noises, so that it woke some of the ani- 
mals, who made a great grumbling, and three 
of the monkeys mocked me for a week after, 
chattering, pointing, and making mouths at 
me, However, I went on trying, and at the 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 45 

end of four years, I understood nearly all that 
was said to me, even without signs, and could 
pronounce a number of words very well, 
though, of course, with rather a foreign ac- 
cent. I proved this to myself upon two or 
three occasions, when it was dark and no one 
knew where the voice came from. By the an- 
swers I received I always found that what I 
had said was understood. Nevertheless, I kept 
all this a secret. 

By this time I was made a show of by m}"- 
self, and separated from all the other animals 
in one large corner, which was parted off by 
a green curtain in front. An additional price 
was charged to see me. I did not know what 
in the world they might do with me, if they 
found they possessed a Bear who could talk! 
I often longed to be free. I was very tired 
indeed of this kind of crowding and staring 
life, and I longed for the beautiful quiet of 
my native woods. But there seemed no hope 
of escape. 

In the ninth year of my captivity and, I 
may add, of my private studies, I was sent 
round the country in a caravan with three 


46 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

keepers who made a great deal of money by 
me, at the various fairs and markets. I was 
called on the placards outside, The Intellec- 
tual BearT 

There was also another captive in the cara- 
van, — a large serpent. I tried to be friendly 
with him but he never noticed me. He was 
usually asleep, rolled up on a heap of blan- 
kets, in a box. When he was awake his eyes 
were generally shut, and he seemed in a sort 
of a stupid trance so that we formed no ac- 
quaintance. I longed more than ever for my 
liberty. 

One night — it was a hot night in June — 
after a long journey, while our keepers were 
away at supper the serpent broke open his box. 
Presently his head went slowly gliding up to 
one of the windows, and moved all over the 
inside shutter. It had not been properly 
locked, and it opened a little way. Upon this, 
the serpent raised himself upwards by his 
mouth, opening the shutter gradually as he 
rose, till he had coiled about half his body up 
against the window-frame, and then, with a 
slow pressure — he burst it open. The next 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 47 

moment he dropped silently through the open- 
ing — and was gone ! 

In an instant the thought of liberty flashed 
through my mind ! I grasped the wooden bars 
of my cell, with both arms, and crushed three 
of them together. I jumped down upon the 
floor of the caravan, and scrambled up to the 
window. It was too small to let my body 
through, but I tore away the framework and 
out I got, and leaped down upon fresh, cool 
grass in the fresh, cool, night air! Oh, what 
delight after that steaming hot caravan! I 
ran off as fast as I could. A few stars were 
shining. Luckily there was no moon. Our 
caravan had fortunately been fixed outside the 
town, so that I had no gates to pass through. 
I scampered along, dodging between the trees 
of the avenue just as if I had been pursued, 
though not a soul was to be seen at that hour; 
then I cut across some fields and reached a 
vineyard. Scrambling on through garden 
and orchard and wood, I came to the highroad 
which led to a large city. Again I plunged 
into some vineyards till suddenly I came to a 
great river which I swam quickly across and 


48 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

landed a little above a village. Again I lost 
myself in the vineyards, but I did the best I 
could to avoid villages and pathways leading 
to towns, for I feared I might meet a party 
of travelers who would make it known where 
they had seen me. I knew there would be a 
wide search for me. So I made my way up- 
ward towards some distant mountains. At last 
I came to a forest where the trees were very 
large. Up one of them I slowly climbed, be- 
ing careful not to scrape or leave any marks 
upon the bark of the tree. Choosing a snug 
place where several large boughs crossed each 
other, I bent some of the smaller ones round 
about, so that I was carefully hidden from all 
eyes below. 

The next morning, as I was sure would be 
the case, I heard all sorts of noises of hunters 
and dogs all over the country. Several par- 
ties passed directly beneath the tree where I 
was seated. I heard one of the dogs give such 
a sniff. Oh! how closely I hugged the trunk 
of that tree, with my nose pointing up the 
stem, and not once venturing to look down! I 
hoped with all my heart not to be seen. This 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 49 

search continued for several days round about 
me. I never descended and I had nothing to 
eat. Once it rained in the night, and I drank 
the water off the leaves, taking whole bunches 
at a time into my mouth. This quite refreshed 
me. Nobody ever found me out, except that 
one morning an old crow with a bright, black 
eye, came and peeped at me, but as soon as he 
saw who it was he flew away, crying out, 
^Lawk! Lawky 

At length the search after me was contin- 
ued in other parts of the country, and one night 
I came down to stretch my legs, and sniff about 
a bit, and see what the world was made of — 
ahem! I had not walked far before I came 
to a spot where the hunters had paused to rest 
and refresh themselves. Here I found two 
things which had been dropped by some acci- 
dent — namely, a purse with some money in it 
and a very large pork pie 1 The purse I placed 
in a thicket under a stone, but I had immediate 
need of the pie. I ate half of it that night; I 
was so very hungry. The remainder I carried 
with me up the tree, and made it last five days. 

Though I never stopped watching or for- 


50 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

got my caution, the fear I at first had of 
being discovered and recaptured was very 
much lessened, so that my mind was free to 
follow its own course of self-improvement I 
continued to practice speaking with the great- 
est care, repeating all the sentences I knew, 
and every word I could recollect I did this 
so often in order to master the pronunciation 
that sometimes when I ceased I had a pain in 
my lower jaw, which lasted for half an hour. 
However, I continually persevered. I had 
now practised speaking a human language for 
nearly twelve years. I spoke very badly I 
knew; still, I had sometimes found what I said 
in the dark when I was in the menagerie, had 
been understood and I was full of hope. How 
and in what manner to make my first appear- 
ance among mankind, was quite a puzzle to 
me. One preparation as to my personal ap- 
pearance I knew I must make. I grieved at 
it. I objected to the narrowness of mind 
which I knew made it necessary, — yet I knew 
also that it must be done. 

In the early morning of the world, every- 
thing was new and wonderful beyond all 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 51 

doubt; but not more new and wonderful than 
useful and necessary to carry out the future 
business of creation. Who can deny the high 
origin of tails? The first animal who was ac- 
tive and well-formed must have had a tail. 
Of its great importance it would take too much 
time at present to speak. But even in these 
modern times how much use and ornament it 
possesses must be seen by everybody when they 
think of the lion, the dog, the eagle, the swal- 
low, the monkey, the squirrel, and the fish. 
Running, leaping, flying, swimming are all 
helped very much indeed by the tail. Of its 
use as a fan in sultry weather, as a whisker- 
away of gnats and flies, I will make no men- 
tion. Then, what a tail the beaver has and 
who is more skilful than he? I will stop. 
You see I have no tail. Since I had made up 
my mind to live with mankind it was neces- 
sary to accept most of their customs. In short, 
I found I must give up my tail. This I did at 
the sacrifice of some private feelings, I assure 
you. 

You must be curious, I think, to hear how 
I made my first appearance among the circles 


52 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

of mankind, and I will hasten to tell you. 
Most fortunately, I had a little money, the 
value of which I knew pretty well. I made 
my way cautiously across the country into a 
town one dark evening of a market-day, and 
with my money I managed to purchase a large 
pair of shoes, a pair of cow-skin gloves, a 
piece of gingerbread, and a sheet of white 
paper. With these materials I made my way 
to a large city where a great fair was being 
held. 

I chose a darK corner on the outskirts of 
the fair and spread my sheet of white paper 
upon the ground. On this white paper I 
placed a score of gingerbread pills, and, with 
beating heart and shaking limbs, I addressed 
the human race on the subject of pills, for I 
had heard people were very much interested 
in this subject. I was so alarmed at speaking 
to a group of such wise beings that even at the 
time I did not well know what I was saying. 
However, the moment I began to speak, a 
number of persons came round me and 
laughed loudly. I thought I was found out, 
and stopped. 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 53 

‘Go on, Doctor! Go onP cried they. So 
I went on. A crowd soon collected, all of 
whom laughed very much, saying, ‘What a 
voice! Look at his nose! Did you ever hear 
such language! What a figure!’ 

They bought all my gingerbread pills in 
a very short time, and I was only able to make 
my escape by telling them I must go to my 
lodgings for some more. 

Oh, how shall I describe the joy and exul- 
tation I felt at the great success of my experi- 
ment upon the wise and generous human race! 
I was obliged to double the price of my gin- 
gerbread pills in order to prevent them from 
going so fast. Everything I said produced 
immense laughter, even when I myself knew 
I had said no witty or sensible thing at all, 
while any ordinary reply was received with 
shouts of applause. They believed that my 
strange voice, dialect, face, figure, and be- 
haviour were all a part of my make-up, and 
that I was acting a part! In fact, they thought 
I could speak and appear very differently, if I 
liked. I did not feel altogether pleased at this 
discovery; but I was obliged to take what came 


54 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

and make the most of it. I, therefore, spoke 
as well as I could, and when I made some 
shocking blunder, I allowed the people to sup- 
pose that I knew better. 

I now took my position in society. I had 
lodgings in a house, and I slept in a bed ! I 
shall never forget the first night I slept in a 
bed. How I stood looking at the snow-white 
luxury! and walked round it softly, holding 
my breath. I touched it very gently, but at 
last I did muster courage and actually got 
between the sheets I 

I visited other large fairs with increased 
success, so that in the course of a year or two 
I had gained a great sum of money. 

I soon became famous at all the great fairs 
where, by some, I was called the Whimsical 
Doctor, on account of my odd dress, face, and 
voice, all of which people regarded as my 
make-up. Several wealthy people whom I 
met at these fairs offered to go into partner- 
ship with me. At last I consented. I took as 
my partner a clever man named Tobias, who 
was a jeweller. He sold all his jewels, or 
rather, he turned all his jewels into ginger- 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 55 

bread, and we made wagon-loads of ginger- 
bread pills. In making the large quantities 
of these, however, Tobias talked to me in a 
way which caused me to feel, for the first time, 
that this method of dealing with the human 
race was not honourable. I began to see that 
human beings were not so wise as I had imag- 
ined, and that nobody ought to cheat them. 
The more my partner talked over our success 
the more I felt we were rogues. So one morn- 
ing I told him that I wished to dissolve our 
partnership. ^Ah,’ said he, ^then, as you leave 
me, of course you will leave with me all the 
stock in trade, and all the money, too.’ ‘No,’ 
said I, ‘not all the money. Take all the pills, 
and welcome; but give me back half the 
money.’ He refused. We spoke sharply to 
each other and suddenly he said to me, angrily, 
‘You shall have nothing. If you say anything 
more I will tell what I have found out about 
you. I know what you are. You are not a 
man — but a bear!* 

I was thunderstruck! I fell back into my 
infant years as if I had fallen over a cliff. I 
felt I was a bear! But the next moment I 


56 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

seized Tobias in my arms, and lifted him up 
in the air, saying in a loud voice: Wicked fel- 
low! what shall I do to you?’ At this mo- 
ment, however, I recollected my mother’s 
words. I set him down upon the ground, 
where he stood quite breathless with fright. 
Then I said to him, ‘Ungrateful man — dishon- 
est partner, — take my money and go thy ways 
in peace.’ 

Not knowing what to do, and certainly not 
knowing what to think, I wandered about the 
country. Sometimes I sat under hedges and 
puzzled my brains to understand what sort of 
thing human reason was. I never could make 
it out. However,, I knew that I was an im- 
poster, — though an innocent imposter, since 
I could not help wearing a fur coat and a long 
nose. 

One day when I was seated under a tree, 
eating a turnip, who should pass by but 
Tobias, all in rags, and looking very ill. Sud- 
denly, he saw me, uttered a cry, and fell down 
in a fit. I went to him and placed the cool 
wet leaves of my turnip across his temples. 
This seemed to revive him and do him good. 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 57 

When he saw that I had no intention to hurt 
him he asked me to carry him to the nearest 
peasant’s cottage. I did so and was going 
away when he called me back and said, ‘I 
behaved very badly to you, but I was pun- 
ished. When you left me nobody would buy 
the pills. The people called loudly for the 
Wonderful Doctor with the fur coat and the 
large nose who talked so oddly. As you were 
not to be found, they said I was a rascal, and 
an impostor, and they drove me out of the 
town. I was quite ruined. They seized all 
our pills and flung them about and the boys 
pelted each other with pill-boxes in the streets 
for at least three hours. The very same won- 
derful pills the world had just before been 
running after.’ 

In a few months after this Tobias had a 
fortune left him by a relation. He sent for 
me, begged my pardon for his previous be- 
haviour, set me up in business as a merchant, 
and took great pains to instruct me. In the 
winter I dealt in pickles and preserves; and in 
the summer I carried on a wholesale trade in 
silks and velvets. He wanted me to sell furs 


58 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

also, but I declined that. These occupations I 
have followed ever since, with great industry 
and good success. Meantime, however, at all 
leisure hours I have tried to improve my mind 
by various studies, and, among others, I even 
managed to make some progress in mathe- 
matics. 

As Mr. Bear said this, all the children 
thought directly of Uncle Abraham, the 
mathematician, and were so sorry he was not 
present to hear about these studies. 

“I should now,” continued the stout gen- 
tleman, ^^consider myself very happy, but for 
one circumstance. I confess I do not like to 
mention it.” 

' How can this small heart contain 

So large a world of joy and pain; 

And how can this small tongue declare 

All that is felt so deeply there! 

Alas, poor Bear! — ^Alas, poor Bear! 

You will all readily understand that to 
have raised myself by my own efforts so much 
above the rest of my species, I must have had 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 59 

a nature open to many thoughts and feelings; 
and that the peculiar tenderness instilled by 
my mother had grown with my growth, and 
made me open to all the softer emotions.” 

Mr. Bear here paused and gave a deep sigh. 
Several of the younger children sighed too. 
Gretchen fixed her eyes upon the floor. 

“I was not aware for some time,” said the 
sorrowful gentleman in the rough coat, “of 
what kind of feelings had begun to possess me. 
I felt I was alone in the world. I had long 
felt that, — but I had so much to do, so much 
to learn and struggle with, and work at, and 
so much travelling about and business to at- 
tend to, that I did not feel this being alone as 
any great grief. Besides, as I had been suc- 
cessful in the various difficult things I had 
attempted, and had for a long time been very 
fortunate in all my affairs of business, I was 
in the habit of regarding myself as a happy 
person. And I was happy, until I began to 
think that others were more so, and then I saw 
it was because others, who were happy, could 
share it with those they loved and also give 
happiness to the dear object. But I was alone 


6o THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


in the world. I had nobody to love. Nobody 
would ever love me, — except another bear. 
And you know that the love of another bear 
was out of the question to one in my advanced 
state of refinement. What was I to do? I 
could have loved a dear object — a great many, 
I am sure — I was going to say — I beg pardon 
— I do not quite well know what I say at this 
exciting moment. But — let me try to tell you, 
that I felt it impossible to live all my life 
without some tender acquaintance with the 
little god of love, and as I was by this time 
long past the season of youth, I was resolved 
to let my heart be lost with the first object 
that should present herself to my fancy. 

But, strange to relate, no sooner had I 
made up my mind to fall in love with the first 
amiable and lovely person I saw than I ceased 
to meet with any such as I often used to see 
before. So I began to think the wish had left 
me, and I determined to study something very 
difficult in order to occupy my mind, and per- 
haps cure myself of these lovely fancies. I, 
therefore, decided to take a course of studies 
under Mr. Professor Abraham Littlepump, 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 6i 

and with tnat view I first came to this village. 
I arrived in the evening as you know, but did 
not intend to have made my visit till next 
morning, had I not been attracted by the loud 
merriment of our young friends here. It has 
always happened that Mr. Professor Abraham 
Littlepump has been absent when I paid you a 
visit; but this does not concern me in regard to 
the mathematics. I have seen one here in this 
room — who has put all the mathematics clean 
out of my head. And now comes the end of 
my story.’’ 

As Mr. Bear uttered those words everybody 
began to look all round the room and then at 
each other and then all round the room 
again. 

“Who can Mr. Good-Natured Bear mean?” 
said Nancy in a whisper to one of the older 
boys. 

“Margaret dear,” said little Valentine, 
“your ears are as red as my scarlet-runner.” 

“Silence!” said Dr. Littlepump. 

“Pity an unfortunate creature,” said the 
stout gentleman. “I have at length seen the 
object of my devout wishes, Yes, in this very 


62 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


room in this house — have I seen just exactly 
what I have been speaking of. You under- 
stand me?” There was no answer. 

^^Oh, that I could have had the honour and 
happiness of being your brother Abraham! 
I would have devoted my mind to far more 
beautiful thoughts. Seated in his arm-chair 
and thinking about mathematical problems he 
never dreamed of the charming object that 
was continually before him, sometimes singing 
to the children, sometimes teaching them to 
read, and to dance, sometimes working with 
her delightful needle. Oh, let me change 
places with him — the cold, insensible, stick of 
a slate pencil! Now I know what I am say- 
ing — or rather I do not very well know what 
I am saying.” 

Poor Mr. Bear here began to cry, and sev- 
eral of the children cried too. But he went 
on with his strange speech all the same. 

“Let Mr. Professor Uncle Abraham stay 
where he is, with his problems and dumps, 
and let me be allowed to remain in his place 
and sit in his chair, so that I may enjoy the 
happy society of the sweet-voiced Margaret, 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 63 

nursery-governess in the amiable family of 
Mr. Dr. Littlepump.” 

As he concluded the last sentence the un- 
happy gentleman sank back in his chair, and 
Gretchen covered her face entirely with both 
hands. 

“I only dare to speak of my affection for 
this sweet creature. I know I am old for her, 
too ugly, besides being a Bear. I know I have 
no hope, but what can I do? How can I help 
this beating heart? What is to become of 
me?” 

By this time all the children had tears in 
their eyes. Nancy and little Valentine, how- 
ever, got close to Gretchen, holding her fast 
on each side, for fear that perhaps poor Mr. 
Bear might want to carry her away. Every- 
body was silent. 

At last Nancy ventured to say in a trem- 
bling voice, ‘Terhaps, dear Mr. Bear, you 
might find somebody else?” 

‘^Oh, that I had eloquence!” exclaimed the 
Bear. ^^Oh, that the best words would come 
of themselves in the best places, while other 
best words were getting themselves ready to be 


64 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

poured out! Then I should be able to touch 
the human heart. But, as it is, all my hopes 
are vanity, — are in fact nothing at all. I must 
leave this busy scene and go to some quiet 
place where I am not known. I will again 
visit the haunts of my childhood and stay 
there. Oh! my native woods! Ye silent 
nights, ye small bright stars playing bo-peep 
through the boughs into hollow caves! I will 
go back among you, and in the cool, green 
grass will I lay my head. Farewell! Fare- 
well!’’ 

“But can nothing be done for you, sir?” said 
Mrs. Littlepump in a soft voice. 

“My dear Margaret,” said Doctor Little- 
pump, “you hear what Mrs. Littlepump asks. 
It is for you to make some kind of an answer. 
I wish my brother Abraham were here!” 

“I can never love the gentleman in the 
rough coat,” said Margaret, still holding one 
hand before her face. “I do not mind his be- 
ing much older than myself, nor do I think 
him so very, very ugly — only, he is a Bear!” 

“I am a devoted Bear!” declared the stout 
gentleman with enthusiasm, “and I will be 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 65 

anything else I can, that the dear object may 
command.” 

‘‘I have had a dream!” said Margaret tim- 
idly looking up and waiting. “I have had a 
dream!” 

“So have I,” said Dr. Littlepump sternly. 
“Come, come, I begin to feel uncomfortable.” 

“Do not feel so!” exclaimed Mr. Bear, 
clasping his paws together. 

“Make haste!” continued the Doctor, fixing 
his eyes upon Margaret. “Make haste! Let 
us hear your dream.” 

“I dreamed,” said Margaret, trembling, 
“that Mr. Bear must go into that closet, and 
be locked in. Then, all the children were to 
form a magic circle in the middle of the room, 
and move slowly round, hand in hand, nine 
times, saying: 

^Oh, Mr. Bear! 

Cupid hears your fond prayer! 

Remember your mother^s words, — never 
despair!’ 


After this, a glass of lemonade and a slice 


66 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


of cake were to be placed ready for each to 
take the moment the door was opened, and 
they saw that the charm was complete. I 
dreamed this would cause Mr. Bear to be 
made happy somehow. And then ” 

^‘And then?’’ said Dr. Littlepump, ^Vhat 
then? I repeat I am beginning to feel very 
uncomfortable. I smell a plot!” 

“Oh, we shall soon see what the dream will 
do,” said Mrs. Littlepump. “Mr. Bear, will 
you run all risks of what may happen, and go 
into the closet?” 

“I will do anything, dear Mrs. Little- 
pump!” exclaimed Mr. Bear. Saying this, he 
ran towards the closet headforemost. The 
door was open. The children all peeped in 
and looked round cautiously to see if anybody 
was there, but it was quite empty. A large 
mirror hung on the wall, at the further end. 
Mr. Bear stepped in, and waited for what 
might happen to him. 

“All in the dark!” said little Valentine, 
“and the door locked!” 

The children now formed a circle in the 
middle of the room, and while Margaret was 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 67 

pouring out glasses of lemonade, and Lydia 
and Dorothea were cutting slices of cake, and 
Wallis was cleaning his spectacles, and Dr. 
and Mrs. Littlepump were standing silently 
holding each other by both hands — the chil- 
dren turned in a circle nine times, repeating 
the words of the charm: 

“Oh, Mr. Bear! 

Cupid hears your fond prayer! 

Remember your mother’s words — never 
despair.” 

When they had finished Mrs. Littlepump 
unlocked the closet door. Everybody was so 
silent. 

“Margaret,” whispered Mrs. Littlepump, 
“go and tap at the door.” 

Margaret did so, and then the door slowly 
began to open. It stopped opening, and a 
voice inside said, “You must take my hand, 
or I cannot come out.” 

And then a well-formed hand was put forth. 
With a face all scarlet with blushes Margaret 
gently took it. And then — ^who should come 


68 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

out of the closet but dear Uncle Abraham! 

^^Here is dear Uncle Abraham!’’ shouted all 
the children, “but where is the Bear?” 

The children all ran right into the closet, 
scrambling, squeaking, and searching all 
about, but finding nothing! Soon they came 
crowding, and began to run round Uncle 
Abraham. 

“Where is the fascinating rough gentle- 
man?” cried everybody in the room. 

*'Here I am!'* exclaimed a soft hoarse 
voice, as if from a great distance. 

They all looked round and round. Nobody 
like Mr. Bear was to be seen. 

am become a happy Shadow!** continued 
the voice, *^and I have left my dear friend and 
mathematical tutor in my place!** 

The voice seemed still as distant as before; 
and yet, somehow, it appeared to come from 
the closet. Into the closet, therefore, all the 
children again rushed pell mell. They were 
no sooner in than they suddenly gave a great 
shout; — and then became quite silent as with 
some new wonder. 

The rest of the party hastened to the closet. 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 69 

The children were all looking in the mirror 
which hung at the other end, and in it were 
distinctly seen the reflection in miniature of 
Mr. Bear, very nicely shaved round the chin, 
and dressed as a nobleman in a court dress. 
He was dancing a polka on the lawn of a 
castle made of clouds, with another Shadow 
dressed exactly like Margaret, only still pret- 
tier, while the figure of Cupid sat on the tip- 
top of one of the turrets, holding his quiver 
like a violin, and playing delightfully upon it 
with his bow. 

Presently the whole vanished. There was 
nothing to be seen in the mirror except the 
wondering faces of those who went close up 
to it. 

Out came all the children, one by one, with 
looks of equal pleasure and bewilderment. 

“I was not altogether prepared for this,” 
said Dr. Littlepump. 

‘^Oh,” said Mrs. Littlepump, ‘^the Land of 
Shadows is full of delights of all kinds; and 
as to your brother’s affair of the heart, it is 
not the first time that a grave man fell in love 
with a merry girl. It was, at least, as natural 


70 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

in him as in Mr. Bear — not to speak un- 
kindly or disrespectfully of our dear departed 
friend. 

^‘But it certainly is the first time,” said Dr. 
Littlepump, “that a Bear, however good- 
natured, was so lucky as to become a Happy 
Shadow, such as you describe, and to be able 
to bequeath a young bride to his tutor. In 
fact, my brain is confused upon several points. 
And the more I reflect, the more my head goes 
round. Brother! I always used to consider 
you a strong-minded man — but now ” 

“You will dance at my wedding!” said 
Abraham Littlepump. 

“I will,” said Dr. Littlepump. “God bless 
you, brother Abraham. Good-natured Bear, 
indeed! Poor gentleman! I do not mean to 
say anything at all unkind — but I do say, bless 
my soul !” 

“My good brother,” said Abraham Little- 
pump, “as for Mr. Bear, we shall ever retain 
the tenderest recollections of him. He was 
thrown upon an unfeeling world, and was 
unhappy. But he is very happy now, some- 
where else. For has he not vanished into the 


THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR 71 

Land of Shadows, there to dance forever on a 
green lawn, with the image of his adorations!” 

rejoice extremely to hear it!” cried Dr. 
Littlepump, catching up his flute; “and I feel 
persuaded that I am at this moment inspired 
to play the very same polka which Cupid has 
just played to Mr. Bear and his bride!” 

At this the children all set up a long hearty 
shout of applause; and when they were quite 
done Dr. Littlepump applauded himself — at 
which they all began again. Then the chil- 
dren, still laughing, formed a circle, hand in 
hand, round Dr. and Mrs. Littlepump, and 
Abraham Littlepump and Margaret, and 
danced round and round them. And they sang 
the following rhyme, in which the Bear was 
lovingly included, just as if he had been pres- 
ent, because his memory was so dear to them 
all. The Doctor accompanied them on his 
flute. 


“Oh, Doctor! Oh, Bear! 
Oh, new-married pair! 

Of good luck and good friends 
Oh, never despair!” 


72 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Abraham Littlepump now became so over- 
joyed, that he was unable to contain himself. 
He hugged them all round, and finally catch- 
ing the Doctor in his arms, made him get up 
behind him pick-a-back. Then Mrs. Little- 
pump and Margaret joined hands with the 
circle of children, and they all danced round 
the two brothers, singing the rhyme again, 
while the Doctor flourished his flute in the 
air, like the conductor of some great band of 
music. ' 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 


Louise Chollet 

King Nutcracker prepared for the Christ- 
mas feast with uncommon splendour, for on 
that day Santa Claus had promised his three 
sons — ^what do you suppose? A pony or a 
boat apiece? Of what use to bring such things 
to Prince Nutcracker and Prince Buttons, 
who were men, while for the little Prince 
Pepin, he had everything that he wanted since 
he first learned to cry for it! No, Santa Claus 
had promised them each a wish I What would 
the princes wish? Nobody knew. For though 
the Court Journal declared that of course their 
wishes would insure the happiness of their 
subjects, the Court Journal knew no more of 
the matter than you or I ; and as all this hap- 
pened before we were born, that is just noth- 
ing. Nevertheless, for weeks beforehand, the 

73 


74 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

entire court was in a state of preparation. 
The Duke of the Powder Closet powdered the 
comb wigs at such a rate that they were 
obliged to station a line of pages from the 
Powder closet to the pantry, who passed up 
refreshments continually to keep his strength 
up. The Queen wore her hair in curl- 
papers for a week, and spent the most of 
her time in the kitchen where the pies and 
plum-pudding were in making; and his Maj- 
esty grumbled that he could not stir without 
stumbling over a trumpeter, practising his 
bit of the Christmas chorus in a corner. For 
himself, the king ordered a new blue-velvet 
coat, and sent his crown and sceptre to be 
mended and rubbed up at a goldsmith’s. All 
the pink pages had new green slippers. Ten 
of these pages were to help Santa Claus out 
of his sleigh and ten were to hold the rein- 
deer; and all the time they were to sing a song 
of welcome, and to step all together. So they 
practised five hours a day with the Lord High 
Fiddlesticks; and the Lord High Fiddle- 
stick bawled himself hoarse, while the pages 
lost flesh and temper in trying to learn. 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 75 

What a pity, after all this pains, that Santa 
Claus left his reindeer behind him, and, slip- 
ping in just when nobody was looking for him, 
stood among them, not with his Christmas 
face, but looking sad and surly! “If you were 
my boys,” said he gruffly, “catch me giving 
you a wish. I would shut you up in an ice- 
berg first! However, a promise is a promise. 
Let us hear what you have to say.” 

All the courtiers stood on tiptoe, and you 
might have heard a pin drop, they were so 
anxious to know what the princes wished. 

Pepin, though the youngest, being a saucy, 
spoiled boy, spoke first. “A prince should 
always have his own way,” said Pepin. 
“Now there are a great many things that vex 
me. Sometimes, when I am flying my kite, 
there is no wind. Now I think that a prince 
should always be able to fly his kite : if not, I 
might as well be any other boy. In the same 
way, it rains when I am going to drive, and 
the sun sets before I am ready; and my ball 
will tumble down when I want it to stay up, 
and sometimes it is too warm, and sometimes 
it is too cold; in short, there is no end to my 


76 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

annoyances, and I want to regulate these 
things myself.’^ 

Santa Claus looked hard at Pepin to see if 
he was quite in earnest. Pepin looked back at 
Santa Claus with a serious face. ^^Have your 
wish while you remain a prince,” said Santa 
Claus. 

The courtiers stared, but no one had time 
to make any remarks; for Prince Nutcracker, 
in a violent hurry lest Buttons should get 
ahead of him, wished for the luck-penny. 
Now you know whoever has a luck-penny will 
make money, more money, much money, and 
will never lose any. 

“But there is one objection,” remarked 
Santa Claus. “By continual use, the luck- 
penny by and by will look larger to you than 
anything else.” 

“That is nothing,” said Nutcracker, slip- 
ping the luck-penny into his pocket. 

Prince Buttons, blushing to the tips of his 
ears, wished “to marry the shoemaker’s sweet 
daughter, and that the spirit of Christmas 
might live in their house the year round.” 

“Give us your hand!” cried Santa CHus, 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 


77 

pulling out the holly-sprig from his cap, and 
giving it to Buttons, but the King jumped up, 
fuming and spluttering: ^‘You idiot! You 
ninny! The daughter of the shoemaker and 
the Christmas spirit, indeed. Christmas 
fiddlestick and fol-de-rol! Out of my sight!” 

His Royal Highness was in such a rage 
that he actually lifted his royal foot to kick 
the prince. The Queen fainted; the courtiers 
cried, ^^Oh!” Prince Buttons ran away in the 
midst of the hubbub; Santa Claus disap- 
peared; and, to make matters better, the court 
suddenly found itself in darkness. It was high 
noon, but the sun had popped out of the sky 
like a snuffed-out candle. Nobody could find 
candles or matches, and if the confusion was 
great in the. palace, it was worse in the city. 
People were left standing in darkness at the 
shops and ferries and depots. People who 
were eating dinners, and people who were get- 
ting them, and people who had just come out 
to see Christmas, w^re all served alike. Every- 
body was in a fright; some screamed one thing 
and some another; and all the time there was 
nothing the matter, only Prince Pepin, who 


78 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

was in a burry to see the arch of Chinese lan- 
terns, had ordered the sun to set. 

^‘See here, Pepin,’’ cried the King in a pas- 
sion, ^‘order the sun up again, and if I catch 
you doing such a thing ” 

Pepin, who was afraid of his father, did not 
wait for the rest of the sentence; so, just as 
everybody had lighted candles, or turned on 
the gas, there was the sun again. 

‘^Seems to me,” said Pepin, sulkily, “I am 
not having my own way after all,” and he 
went in a wretched humour to play battle-door 
and shuttlecock. He made bad strokes, and 
the shuttlecock tumbled on the ground. 
^^Hateful thing, forever coming down!” cried 
Pepin. 

“It only obeys the law of gravitation, my 
dear,” said the Queen. 

“I wish there was no law of gravitation,” 
snapped Pepin. 

Whisk! Pepin was flying through the air 
as if he had been shot from a gun. Kicking 
frantically, he saw the King, the Queen, every- 
thing, coming after him! Something hit him 
hard on the nose. He was in a perfect storm 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 


79 

of great round apples, flying in all directions! 
Bang! bump! on his head, in his mouth, on 
his shoulders! How he wished they had 
stayed in the market! Pepin dodged and 
squalled; the air was full of stones and tim- 
bers; a horse was kicking just over his head; 
somebody had him by the hair, and some- 
body else by the legs, for, of course, everybody 
clutched in all directions to save him- 
self. 

‘^Oh!” screamed Pepin amidst the general 
uproar of barking, neighing, braying, cluck- 
ing and shouting, wish the law of gravita- 
tion was back again.” 

At once Pepin, the King, the Queen, and 
the people, were on their feet. Everything 
was in its accustomed place, — everybody a 
little rumpled, but nobody hurt. The King 
was disposed to be angry, but the Queen de- 
clared that Pepin was only a little thoughtless, 
the courtiers murmured, ^^Quite natural,” and 
the Court Journal pronounced the affair the 
best joke of the season; but the people looked 
very glum over it. 

That made no difference to Pepin, who con- 


8o THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


tinued his jokes very much at his ease. Often, 
when he was lazy, the sun did not rise until 
noon; and people might twist and turn in bed, 
or go about their business by candle-light, as 
they chose; when, on the contrary, he found 
his play amusing, he sometimes kept the sun 
in the sky till nine o’clock at night, while all 
the children in the city were crying for sleepi- 
ness. Three nations declared war on King 
Nutcracker, because Pepin sometimes ordered 
a dead calm for weeks, and sometimes had the 
winds blowing from all quarters at once, and 
navigation was quite impossible. The doctors 
were almost worn out, and the people died on 
all sides from constant violent changes of 
weather, for, if my young master got heated 
in his play, he made nothing of ordering the 
thermometer down to sixty degrees. The 
farmers were all in despair, for Pepin hardly 
allowed a drop of rain to fall; and having a 
fancy for skating in summer, he ruined what 
harvest there was by a week of ice and snow 
in July. 

Remonstrance was quite useless, for Pepin 
was no longer afraid of his father, since he 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 


8i 


could leave him at any time in total darkness. 
So one night there was heard a loud knocking 
at the palace gate, and, though the pages and 
the guards and the watchmen turned over on 
the other side, and tried very hard to go to 
sleep again, the knocking grew so loud that 
they were obliged to get up and see what was 
the matter. There was a mob at the gates; 
the people, tired of Pepin’s jokes, had re- 
belled. Some ran one way and some another. 
Prince Nutcracker put his luck-penny in his 
pocket and walked out of the back door; no 
one stayed to look after the King and Queen, 
who were running about in nightcap and slip- 
pers, in a terrible fright; and if it had not 
been for Buttons, who, on the first alarm, ran 
to the palace, from which he had been kicked 
out six months before, they would have been 
in a sorry case, I think. 

On the next day the Court Journal came 
out with a new heading. It was called now 
the People’s Journal, and it said that, on the 
night before, old Mr. and Mrs. Nutcracker 
and their boy Pepin had escaped, nobody 
knew how, and nobody cared; and that young 


82 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Mr. Nutcracker, the former heir to the 
throne, had opened a fine new store on Main 
Street. 

So, you perceive, there was no longer a royal 
family. 

As Nutcracker had the luck-penny, of 
course he made money in his new store. Every 
day, and all day long, he looked straight at the 
penny. At first he usedi to see other things; 
but as he took no notice of them, by and by 
the penny grew so large that it covered them 
all, and then he had no more trouble. He 
made money all the year round and he gave 
none of it away. None to Pepin, because he 
had brought about their misfortunes. None 
to Buttons, because he might have wished for 
something better, if he liked, than a holly- 
bush and the shoemaker’s daughter. None to 
anybody, because why should not people work 
and earn money, as he had done, if they 
wanted it? And every day he grew more and 
more like his penny, — that is, of less and less 
use for anything that was not buying and sell- 
ing. For Santa Claus, he had not seen him in 
ten years, till one Christmas eve, when hear- 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 83 

ing a sudden jingling of sleigh-bells, he looked 
up and saw Santa Claus just coming down on 
the hearth-rug. 

“I stopped my sleigh,” said Santa Claus, 
“to see if you had anything to send your father 
and brothers.” 

Why should I send them anything?” an- 
swered Nutcracker, surlily. 

Santa Claus put his hands down deep in 
his fur pockets, as if he was trying to hold 
himself. “What for! Aren’t you rich and 
they poor? Your own flesh and blood? Con- 
found it, man ! if you have not the instinct of 
a son and a brother, you must feel the Christ- 
mas spirit at least once a year in your heart, 
urging you to love and kindness towards your 
fellow-men.” 

“Well, I don’t, then,” snarled Nutcracker. 
“Men need holidays to rest, I suppose, though 
I don’t; but for Christmas being any better, 
or having anything more in it than any other 
day, I say, bosh I Give me plenty of money, 
and I can buy all the love and kindness I 
want! And if other folks want it, let them 
work and earn money as I do, and ” 


84 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Nutcracker never finished this speech, be- 
cause — he could not. A singular dumb, dry 
and hard feeling had taken possession of him. 
His legs were gone. At least he could see 
them nowhere; so were his arms. Something 
wrapped him around. He had a strange 
notion that he had grown round, and that — it 
sounds ridiculous — but Nutcracker was quite 
positive that he was in a table drawer among 
some coin, and that he was — a copper penny. 

By and by he heard a shrill voice, ‘^Mr. 
Nutcracker, Mr. Nutcracker!’^ That was his 
wife. Then he heard his children calling, 
^Tapa, papa!” Then a running up and down 
stairs. They were searching for him. Then 
somebody declared that he had disappeared, 
somebody else said that he must be adver- 
tised for, and, taking a handful of money from 
the drawer. Nutcracker among the rest, car- 
ried him to a newspaper office, and paid him 
in at a window for an advertisement about his 
own disapp^earance. Two minutes after, the 
man at the window gave him in change to a 
gentleman, who paid him out to a newsboy, 
who bought an apple with him of a grocer. 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 85 

who gave him in change again to a shoe- 
maker, who dropped him into his soiled and 
patched pocket, where Nutcracker found 
nothing else but a five-dollar gold piece. 

This shoemaker was Buttons. Was not this 
a charming way for two brothers to meet? 

The pocket into which Nutcracker dropped 
was a very poor pocket, — soiled and patched, 
as I said; but Nutcracker had not been in it 
five minutes when he felt — how shall I tell 
you? It is not easy to describe feelings, but 
this shoemaker, who walked in the biting 
wind with no overcoat and his hands in his 
pockets, had warmth and sparkle in his heart 
that made Nutcracker feel brighter, though he 
could not tell why. There were Christmas 
trees on all corners, and Christmas wreaths 
piled on the stands, and at every tree and 
wreath Buttons warmed more and more. 
There were women going home from market, 
with a broad grin on their faces, and a drum 
or a little bedstead on the top of the cran- 
berries and turkey and Buttons laughed back 
at them as he walked, whistling and looking 
around him; and splendid ladies came smiling 


86 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

out of the shops, and Buttons smiled at them; 
till between the signs of Christmas and the 
pleasant faces he got in such a glow that Nut- 
cracker would hardly have said that he needed 
an overcoat. 

All this time Buttons walked very fast and 
very straight till he came to a certain shop 
with a low door. Outside of this door was a 
clothes stand, and on this stand hung an over- 
coat, marked ‘‘Only Five Dollars.” 

Buttons stopped. “Now,” said he to him- 
self, “I need an overcoat. I have got five dol- 
lars in my pocket. Shall I buy this over- 
coat?” 

Then Buttons imagined himself in the over- 
coat. His coat-tails would not fly out, and 
of course he could not put his hands in his 
pockets; and if not, where should he put 
them? Buttons took another look at the coat. 
It was certainly good for five dollars. 

“But,” said Buttons, “if I buy it they will 
have no Christmas dinner, and Ma Nut- 
cracker has set her heart on chicken and pud- 
ding. My little wife will never know the dif- 
ference between Christmas and any other day. 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 87 

Poor Pepin, in his bed, will never know 
any difference. I shall come home in my 
brutal overcoat and that will be all.” 

Then he began checking off on his fingers 
like this: dressing-gown for father, a 

shawl for mother, a new gown for the little 
wife, goodies for the children, a box of paints 
for Pepin, and the dinner.” Then he gave a 
little sigh, and, putting his hands again in his 
pockets, walked away as fast as he came. Do 
you suppose that he bought all these things 
with the five-dollar gold-piece? Nutcracker 
could not see, of course, but he thought not, 
for how could he? 

Buttons lived upstairs, in a mean little 
house in a dirty street. His rooms were small, 
and they were crowded. There were old Mr. 
and Mrs. Nutcracker, who never forgot that 
they had been king and queen, and that But- 
tons’ wife was a shoemaker’s daughter, and 
never remembered that Buttons had returned 
their cruelty with kindness, and I think were 
not very nice people to live with. There was 
Pepin, who had been hurt, poor boy! in escap- 
ing from the palace, and who had never risen 


88 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


since from his bed. There was Buttons’ 
pleasant-faced wife; there were three fat chil- 
dren; there was the holly-bush, which had 
grown into a great tree; and there was — Nut- 
cracker did not know what — but something, 
he was quite sure, for which he had been 
searching all his life. 

The three fat children seized upon Buttons; 
one by each hand and one by his coat-tails. 

“Ah!” said Buttons, pretending to groan. 
“I am so tired. Let the best child look out- 
side of the door and see what he finds.” 

The best child opened the door cautiously, 
half afraid, and set up a shout. “Ma, come 
quick! here’s a chicken, and cranberries, and 
a paper, — it’s raisins!” 

“Raisins!” screamed the other children. 

“A chicken!” cried old Mrs. Nutcracker. 

“Christmas wreaths!” exclaimed his wife, 
peeping out into the little dark hall. “Why, 
surely, you never ” 

“Made them? Yes, I did,” said Buttons, 
his eyes dancing. “In the woods. The cedars 
gave me boughs for nothing.” 

Christmas wreaths!” repeated Pepin from 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 89 

his bed. ^^Give me one,” and, seizing it in his 
thin fingers, ^^Ah! how nice it smells, — like 
the woods!” he said, laying his pale cheek on 
it. ‘T wish I could see a tree once more.” 

Buttons jumped up and ran downstairs 
very fast, and they heard him coming back 
dragging something after him, bump, bump 1 
The something rustled and cracked and filled 
the room with a strong, spicy scent of the 
woods. Buttons lifted it so that it stood just 
in front of Pepin’s bed. It was a spruce-tree. 
Its thick, strong branches spread out wide. 
Its top brushed the ceiling. Birds had built 
nests in its branches, mosses had lived about 
its roots. It knew all the secrets of the woods 
and the sky and the rains, and it told you about 
them, as well as it could, whenever you stirred 
its branches. The little wife hung the wreaths 
all about the room, — one on every nail, one 
over each window, one over Pepin, one each 
on the backs of grandpa’s and grandma’s 
chairs. It was getting dark, and the firelight 
came out and danced on the ceiling and on the 
white cover of the little table. Pepin lay 
looking at the tree. The children chattered 


90 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

like little birds; even Grandpa and Grandma 
Nutcracker were smiling. The room was like 
a spicy cosy little nest. What was it, Nut- 
cracker wondered more and more, here in 
these people’s faces for which he had laboured 
all his life? 

Suddenly Pepin cried out, ‘^O, there is 
something here hanging on a branch of the 
tree !” 

‘Ts it possible?” answered Buttons. ^^Then 
you had better take it down, Pepin.” 

Pepin took it down. “Why, it is for me,” 
he said, looking at the name on the wrapper. 

“Then you had better open it,” answered 
Buttons in just the same tone as before. 

Pepin untied the string, but his hands shook. 
“It is square,” he said, feeling it. He took off 
one wrapper. “It is hard,” he said again, 
trembling all over. He took off the second 
wrapper, and it nearly dropped from his 
fingers. 

“A box of paints!” screamed the children, 
dancing around. 

Pepin tried to speak, but he could not get 
out a word. He kissed the box, he laughed, 


CHRISTMAS WISHES 


91 

but you could see he was near crying. The 
little wife’s eyes were full of tears also. 

“Come! come!” said Buttons. “Do people 
cry over Christmas gifts?” There were no 
tears in his eyes. He was ready to dance, 
though now he would have no overcoat. As 
for Nutcracker, he had a curious tingling sen- 
sation all over him, though he was only a cop- 
per penny; and, happening to look towards 
the hearth, he saw Santa Claus. The old fel- 
low had tied up his reindeer and slipped down 
the chimney, and was winking hard, and wip- 
ing his eyes, while pretending to blow his 
nose. 

“I have it! I have got it, and know what 
it is!” cried Nutcracker, at the top of his 
lungs. “The Christmas spirit lives here all the 
year round, and these people love one another, 
and are happy. That is what I never had at 
home — happiness; that is what my money 
could not buy. That is why I was every day 
trying to make more money — always hoping 
to make money enough to buy it.” 

Should you not think that Buttons would 
have been very much frightened to hear such 


92 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

a voice coming out of his pocket? No doubt 
he would, only, in some mysterious way. Nut- 
cracker found himself on his legs again, and 
he was walking as fast as he could with a 
pocketful of money, to buy a monstrous tur- 
key, and the best overcoat in the city, and 
boots and a hat to match, and a new gown, 
and a dressing-gown, and a shawl and a set 
of paints, and a great bouquet, and a basket of 
toys, and candies — for whom? Why, for 
Buttons, and Grandpa and Grandma Nut- 
cracker, and the pleasant little wife, and 
Pepin, and the children, of course! 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


Harriet Myrtle 

When I was a little girl we lived entirely 
in the country for several years, and one win- 
ter there was a great fall of snow. The snow 
covered the roof of the house, the roofs of the 
stable and cow shed, and the branches of 
every tree were so thickly covered with the 
beautiful white snow that sometimes in the 
morning, when I looked out of the window, 
I could, at first, have fancied the trees were 
all apple and pear trees full of blossoms. 
You may, therefore, believe that the snow lay 
very deep in the fields. 

We had three fields; one was adjoining our 
kitchen; and there was often a cow, or horse, 
or pony allowed to walk in it when the grass 
was good. This field sloped down into a sec- 
93 


94 the garnet story BOOK 

ond which was parted off by a gate; and then 
by a pathway along the side of a high hedge, 
we came to a stile, and on the other side of 
the stile was our largest field. No cattle were 
allowed to enter this field, as the grass was 
kept for hay-making. Here, then, the deep 
snow lay all broad and white and soft, with- 
out the marks of a single footstep all over the 
whole bright expanse, where all was white- 
ness and silence. 

Now there lived in a pretty lane very near 
us an old parish clerk named Downes. He 
lived in his cottage with his little grand- 
daughter, and a blackbird. He was a tall, 
thin old man with straight white hair. His 
name was Godfred, but we always called him 
Gaffer Downes. 

One morning during this great snow time 
Mr. Gaffer Downes came to my father and 
asked permission to make something curious 
in his large field. He explained what it was 
and had leave given him directly, for every- 
body was fond of Gaffer Downes. He had 
been parish clerk in our village for nearly 
forty years. 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


95 

Away went Mr. Downes to get assistants for 
what he wished to do, and he soon found two 
who were willing to help him. One was the 
coachman of Squire Turner’s family, who 
were neighbors and friends of ours; and the 
other was the parish sexton. Gaffer brought 
his spade with him; and the three went off 
together through the snow. 

They took their way down into our great 
field, and there they each made a great snow 
ball. Following the directions of Gaffer 
Downes, these snow balls were rolled along 
until they collected more and more snow upon 
their sides all round, and, of course, began to 
get very large. Each man’s snow ball was 
soon as large as his head. They went rolling 
on, and soon each of the snow balls was as 
large as two heads; then as large as a cow’s 
head ; then as large as a very great cow’s head ; 
and then each man was obliged to stop, as he 
could roll his snow ball along no more, it was 
so large and heavy. Mr. Downes then told 
the coachman and the sexton to leave their 
snow balls and come and help him to roll his. 
So all three pushed away, and rolled it nearly 


96 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

all round the great field, by which time it was 
as large as the head of an elephant. 

They stopped to rest and take breath. Mr. 
Downes now informed them that he wished 
this large ball to be rolled to the middle of 
the field, and to remain there while they rolled 
the others to the same size, and then brought 
them to the same spot. They were just be- 
ginning their work again when they heard a 
loud, merry laugh at the other side of the 
hedge, and whom should they see looking over 
and showing his white teeth and making a 
funny face at them but George Poole, the 
black footman at Squire Turner’s. 

“Aha!” said George, “Aha, Massa Down, 
me see you! how you do, Massa Gaffer Down? 
and how do you do? Is your pretty grand- 
daughter at home? and how you do, you 
blackbird, Massa Down? aha! very fond of 
blackybird; he just my colour. How you do, 
you cold finger, Massa Gaffer Down — and 
Massa Sexton, and coachy man, too, with cold 
fingers, all so red, like scraped carrots?” 

“George Poole,” said Mr. Downes with a 
serious look, “George Poole, you interrupt. 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


97 

Come and assist us, or return home to your 
fire in a quiet and proper manner, I beg of 
you.” 

^^Me go home to proper fire,” answered 
George, “but what you make there with great 
snow ball, Massa Down?” 

“I do not intend to let any one know at 
present,” answered Mr. Downes. “Good day, 
George,” and as he said this he made a sign 
to the coachman and sexton, and they con- 
tinued their work of rolling. 

“Me come and see him when him finished,” 
said George. “Good day, Massa Down,” and 
as he said this the laughing black face of 
George Poole disappeared from the top of the 
hedge. 

This work of rolling continued all the 
morning, and, as they found they had nothing 
else to do, they worked at it all the afternoon, 
also. By this time they had made seven balls 
of snow, each as large as the head of an ele- 
phant, and had rolled them all into the very 
middle of the field. But to do this they had 
been obliged to ask for the help of two men 
from our house. This my father readily 


98 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

gave; indeed, I believe he himself helped at 
the last rolling of each ball, as they were so 
very heavy and moved so slowly. Mr. Downes 
then took the spade and patted every ball with 
the flat part of it, in order to make them even 
and hard, and so left them for the night. 

The next morning while we were at break- 
fast Gaffer Downes passed by the window, 
with a spade over his shoulder, followed by 
the sexton and coachman each with a spade 
over his shoulder, and after them came the 
beadle, the church bell ringer, and the young 
man who blew the bellows for the or- 
gan. 

They all followed Mr. Downes into the 
large field. 

Up we all jumped from the breakfast table 
and hurried on our things; papa, mamma and 
I, and Ellen Turner, who had heard of some- 
thing that was to be done in our field, and 
had come over to breakfast with us to see. 
Away we all went, mamma carrying me where 
the snow was too deep, and papa carrying 
Ellen. 

When we came into the large field, there we 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


99 

saw them all busy indeed, working under the 
directions of Gaffer Downes, who was not 
working himself now, but standing still in the 
attitude of an artist, giving orders to his 
pupils. They soon made a sort of flat bank of 
snow, about a foot and a half high, and patted 
it down very hard with their spades. The 
pupils, that is to say, the coachman and sexton 
and bell ringer and beadle, and the young 
man who blew the bellows for the organ, then 
rolled three of the great balls of snow up on 
this bank, close to one another, so as to form a 
sort of circle, but leaving a hollow place in 
the middle of the form< of a triangle, which 
the beadle remarked was very much the figure 
of the coachman’s Sunday hat. Mr. Downes 
now came with his spade, and made this three- 
cornered hollow larger, in fact, large enough 
for a man to stand in very easily. He then 
desired the coachman and sexton to assist him 
with their spades in making the tops of these 
three balls quite flat. When this was done 
he directed them to make three more of the 
balls flat at top and bottom; this also being 
done, he called all his party together and told 


loo THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


them to lift these three balls, one at a time, 
and carefully place them upon the top of 
those three that were already placed, as I have 
told you. So the pupils did as they were 
directed and Mr. Downes made three notches, 
like steps, in the side of two of the balls, and 
up them he slowly walked with his spade, and 
again made the three-cornered hole in the 
middle of the three top snow balls, as large 
as he had made it in those at the bottom. We 
all thought he was going to get into it, but 
he did not. He only looked in. He now 
came down with a very important look, and 
went up to the one large ball of snow, which 
still lay there in its round shape. This he 
trimmed and patted all about into the form 
he wished, and then all the pupils were 
called to carry it and lift it by degrees and 
to place at the very top where it was intended 
to be made the head of the Man of Snow. It 
was a great job to get the head safely up, for 
it was very heavy. However, after much 
time and many narrow escapes of the head, 
and all the pupils tumbling down together, 
they did manage to get it to the top, just over 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


lOI 


the hole which it covered up and its own 
weight kept it there safely. 

It was now time to go to dinner. We all 
went but we finished as soon as we could and 
returned to the large field. Gaffer Downes, 
the coachman, and sexton moved round and 
round with their spades, cutting and shoving 
or patting up the snow to make the figure of 
a man. And as there were several hollow 
places where you could look into the inside, 
they filled them up with hard lumps of snow; 
all except one hole, which Mr. Downes said 
he wished left open to let the air in, though, 
on second thought, he said he would cover it 
over himself, and so he did, but very lightly. 
They made a few trenches and ridges down 
the middle and at the sides of the Man, and 
this they called his legs and arms, at which 
we all laughed. Lastly, Mr. Downes went 
climbing up the sides with his spade and went 
to work at the head. What he tried to do was 
to make a face to it, but it was very difficult. 
He cut out the nose and chin, very large and 
broad; but some unlucky cut just as he was 
finishing made them fall off. He then asked 


102 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


the beadle to bring him two short sticks from 
the hedge ; this being done, he stuck them into 
the face and covered them over with hand- 
fuls of snow, which he pressed and patted into 
the shape of a nose and chin. But when he 
had finished the weight of the snow made the 
sticks come out and down they fell. He went 
on trying again and again, and we all looked 
on and hoped he would succeed, though we 
laughed very much also for the nose fell off 
six times and the chin four. At last, however, 
with a sudden thought, which could only have 
occurred to one who had quite a genius for 
making a Man of Snow, Mr. Downes stuck 
the two short sticks in not pointing downwards 
or straight out, but pointing rather upwards, 
so that the weight of the nose and chin were 
supported upon the face and they held fast. 
And a very strange face it was! 

Two things were still to be done. Mr. 
Downes drew from his coat pocket a couple 
of large round stones of a blue-grey color, and 
these he fixed in the face for eyes; and over 
the head, at each side, he stuck a number of 
small hedge twigs and a wreath from a thorny 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


103 

wild rose tree, for hair. If more snow should 
fall he assured us the hair would look quite 
beautiful. Down came Mr. Gaffer Downes, 
looking so seriously and modestly upon the 
snow clumps on his shoes, while we all praised 
his work and told him how much we liked his 
Man of Snow. 

It was now evening. We all went back 
through the fields and when we arrived at the 
house my papa sent out a quantity of hot ale, 
with sugar and toast in it, for the pupils, and 
we made Mr. Downes come in to tea with us 
though he wanted to go home. He said his 
little granddaughter and the blackbird would 
think he was lost in the snow. 

There did happen to be a slight fall of snow 
again in the night and we all went down to 
the large field next morning after breakfast 
to see what change it had made in the appear- 
ance of the great Man. And a fine change, 
indeed, it had made. He looked much larger 
and rounder and whiter and colder and 
seemed more “at home” in the great white 
field. And he had a wonderful head of hair! 

The very same evening as we were all sit- 


104 the garnet story BOOK 

ting round the fire, about an hour before sup- 
per time, Mr. Downes came to our house and 
sent in word that he had something very im- 
portant to say. Mamma said, ^Tray tell Mr. 
Downes to come directly.’’ In came Gaffer 
Downes, looking rather paler than usual, and 
with his face looking longer than usual, and 
his white hair looking straighter than usual, 
and his chin sticking out with some frost upon 
it. He remained standing in the middle of 
the room without saying a word. 

^‘What is the matter, Mr. Downes?” asked 
papa. 

“Sir,” said Mr. Downes, without moving 
from the place where he stood, “something 
has happened!” 

“What has happened?” said papa, rising 
from his chair. 

“An event!” said Mr. Downes. 

“What event?” said mamma, rising from 
her chair, “and where has it happened?” 

“In the large field,” answered Mr. Gaffer 
Downes. “An event has happened to the 
Snow Man.” 

At this we all ran up to Gaffer Downes, ex- 


TFIE MAN OF SNOW 


105 

claiming, ^‘What has happened to him, tell us 
at once.’’ 

“The Snow Man,” said Mr. Downes in a 
low voice, “The Snow Man talks.” 

“Talks?” cried we all. 

“Yes,” said he, “the Man speaks. He was 
addressing the field in a long speech when I 
passed on the other side of the hedge. It is a 
fine moonlight night. You can all come and 
hear him yourselves.” 

“That we will !” exclaimed my papa. “We 
will all go directly.” 

So mamma called for bonnets and shawls 
and handkerchiefs and cloaks and muffs, and 
tippets and gloves and fur boots and all sorts 
of things for there were several young ladies 
staying on a visit with us. And outside the 
door we found Squire Turner’s coachman 
with the sexton and the beadle and bell ringer 
and the young man who blew the bellows for 
the organ; in fact, all Gaffer Downes’ pupils, 
waiting to go with us into the large field. 

Off we all set, Mr. Downes leading the way. 
At the end of the first field he made us all 
stop to listen. He asked us if any of us could 


io6 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


hear the Man of Snow speaking. We all 
listened and at last said, He then told 

us to follow him slowly along the hedge of the 
second field listening all the way. We heard 
nothing, and again Mr. Downes stopped us at 
the stile leading into the great field. Very 
attentively we listened, but all was as silent as 
possible. 

Mr. Downes now told us we had better wait 
a little and let him go first, and as soon as the 
Man of Snow spoke he would return and tell 
us to come softly. So over the stile got Mr. 
Downes and we soon lost sight of him as he 
went creeping round closely by the hedge. 
Well, we waited and waited but Mr. Downes 
did not return. We listened but we could 
hear nothing. Still we waited but at last papa 
got out of patience and said, ^‘What can have 
become of Mr. Downes?” 

‘‘I hope,” said mamma, “nothing has hap- 
pened to him.” 

“I am determined to go and see after him,” 
said papa. 

“Let us all go together,” said mamma. 
“Let us all go together, straight up towards 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


107 

the Man of Snow, and ask for Mr. Downes.’’ 

It was agreed upon and we all got over the 
stile and went crowding together along the 
field, nobody liking to go first, but all keeping 
close, like sheep when they do not know what 
to do for the best. 

At last we came near the great Man of 
Snow. Papa and the young man who blew 
the bellows for the organ stood in front, and 
next to them came the sexton, and then 
mamma, with all us girls climbing close 
around her, wrapped up in our cloaks, with 
only our eyes and noses to be seen; and behind 
us stood the rest of the pupils — and behind 
all, at some distance, stood the beadle. Well, 
there we all stood in silence, in the great, silent 
snow field, looking at the great silent Man of 
Snow with the moon shining upon his head ! 

The young man who blew the bellows for 
the organ was the first who spoke; and he 
said in a very respectful voice, ‘T ask your 
pardon, sir; but could you be so kind as to 
tell us what has become of Mr. Downes?” 

No answer was returned. Everything was 
as silent as before. 


io8 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

The sexton next spoke; and in a very hum- 
ble tone he said, ‘^May it please your 
Majesty! we have lost the clerk of the 
parish r 

Again we all remained in the same suspense 
and silence. The moon now went partly be- 
hind a cloud so that only a little pale light 
came across one side of the head and shoul- 
ders of the Man of Snow. At last papa was 
obliged to speak, and he said, “Oh, Man of 
Snow, we came not to disturb thy tranquillity, 
but if thy gracious whiteness hath once al- 
ready spoken to these fields, permit us also 
to hear thy silent voice!’’ 

There was again a pause and then, would 
you believe it? — you hardly can — would you 
believe it, the Man of Snow answered! He 
did, indeed. In a very slow and solemn voice 
he said, “Peace be upon ye all — and the silent 
thoughtfulness of these white fields.” 

You may suppose how fearful and aston- 
ished and quiet we all stood at hearing these 
words. Presently, however, my papa took 
courage, and again addressed the Man of 
Snow, 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


109 

‘‘Who art thou — and whence comest thou, 
oh, most serene Highness of the frost?” 

“I am a spirit of Winter!” answered the 
Man of Snow, in the same solemn tone. 
“Once in Lapland I was one of the most re- 
nowned giants. There my image is built up 
with white stone, and because this likeness of 
me has been made, therefore, on the wings of 
the wind hath my spirit crossed the bleak seas 
to dwell for a little time in this body of snow. 
But now depart! I would be alone! — retire! 
To-morrow, at moon-rise, ye may come 
again.” 

We did not dare to disobey this com- 
mand to depart, you may be sure; so we all 
went homewards, too full of thoughts to 
speak. 

Just as we had reached the stile one of the 
young ladies cried out, “Oh, what’s that under 
the hedge!” We all looked, and there we saw 
the head of a man rising out of the dry ditch 
by the side of the hedge! Who do you think 
it was? It was the poor beadle. He had been 
so frightened when the Man of Snow spoke 
that he had run back, but, being unable to get 


no THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


over the stile, in his confusion, he got into the 
dry ditch and sat there upon the dead leaves 
and snow, with his chin just level with the 
top of the bank. However, the pupils soon 
lifted him out and comforted him and took 
him home. They also went to the cottage of 
Gaffer Downes to know if he had returned 
safely. But he had not returned. 

Before we went to supper, however, we sent 
to the cottage, as we were getting very an- 
xious; and his granddaughter answered from 
the window that her dear grandfather had re- 
turned and had a basin of warm broth and 
was now in bed. 

We could hardly eat our supper, any of us, 
for talking of the Man of Snow and what he 
had said about having been once upon a time 
a Lapland giant! For my part I could not 
sleep for thinking of it, and all the young 
ladies said the same thing the next morning 
at breakfast. 

You may be sure we were all very anxious 
for the evening to come when we were again 
to go and hear what the Man of Snow had 
to say. He told us, you recollect, to come 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


III 


again at moon-rise; and the moon, papa said, 
would rise about seven o’clock. 

We had a dinner party at our house and 
nearly all the time we talked of little else ex- 
cept the Man of Snow or rather what he had 
done when he was a giant in Lapland; and 
we thought that, perhaps, he might tell us the 
history of his life. We determined every one 
of us to go all together down to the great field 
when the moon rose. 

As the time approached we became so an- 
xious that we got ready too soon, and then, 
as we were all ready, we thought we might 
just as well go and wait there till the white 
giant chose to speak. So off we all set, and 
went very merrily, and yet not without some 
little fears, down toward the large field. 

But when we had all got over the stile who 
should come running after us but Mr. 
Downes. He was quite out of breath, but as 
soon as he could speak he said, ^Tndeed, you 
are too soon. It’s too soon by half an hour. 
You had much better get over the stile again 
and go into the other field a little while.” 

Now this made some of us laugh, for, do 


1 12 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


you know, we now began to suspect that it was 
Mr. Downes himself who had spoken for the 
Man of Snow. 

We thought perhaps he had got behind 
somewhere, or perhaps into the side of the 
great figure and thus spoken for him. But 
now, as we had come too soon he had no time 
to get ready. We were sorry for poor Gaffer 
Downes, yet still we could not help laughing 
at the scrape he was in. He went on assur- 
ing us the Man of Snow would not speak at 
all as we had come before the time he ordered. 
But this made us laugh the more, as we were 
now almost sure how it had been continued. 
Meantime, we had slowly advanced toward 
the Man of Snow, poor Mr. Downes telling 
us all the time that the Man would be sure 
not to utter a word as we had disobeyed his 
directions. 

“But see,” said papa, “the moon is now 
rising!” 

“Aha! ’tis no matter now,” answered Mr. 
Downes in a melancholy tone. “The Man of 
Snow will not speak a single word.” Mr. 
Downes had scarcely said this when a voice 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


113 

from the Man of Snow called out in a loud 
tone : 

“How you do, Massa Down — how you lilly 
granddaughter do — and how you do you black 
bird, Massa Gaffer Downes?” 

All burst into laughter except Mr. Downes, 
who walked backwards and forwards once or 
twice saying, “Dear me, how very vexa- 
tious!” 

Papa and mamma now both went up to Mr. 
Downes and told him they saw how vexed he 
was at the change that had somehow or other 
taken place in the voice of the Man of Snow, 
because the spirit of the Lapland Giant had 
certainly flown away and quite a different one 
had gotten into its place. However, they 
begged him not to take it to heart, but to go 
and speak to the Man of Snow, and ask him 
to explain a little. 

Mr. Downes thought for a minute, and then 
seeming to make up his mind to it, walked a 
few paces nearer to the Man of Snow, and 
this curious dialogue took place between 
them. 

Mr. Downes: “Who art thou» oh. rude. 


1 14 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

familiar voice, who has usurped the place of 
the frosty Spirit of last night?” 

Man of Snow: ‘‘Me the King of Lapland! 
speaky more respectful to him Snow-ball 
Majesty, Massa Down!” 

Mr, Downes: “No Majesty of Snow hast 
thou, nor art thou Lapland’s king, nor ever 
wert, nor shalt be.” 

Man of Snow : “Why you say so you Massa 
Gaffer man! Me come from own country 
Lapland late last night after supper.” 

Mr. Downes: “What, then, for supper did 
the king of Lapland eat?” 

Man of Snow: “Berry good supper to be 
sure — great supper in great big palace sur- 
rounded with orange trees and plantain and 
banana tree. Me have curried chicken plenty 
and hot rice with treacle, and a pineapple, 
and watermelon from own garden close by; 
and then me have chocolate, berry sweet. 
What you t’ink now, Massa Downes?” 

Mr. Downes: “I think the King of Lap- 
land dreams.” 

Man of Snow: “What he dream of then?” 

Mr. Downes: “He dreams that he had 


THE MAN OF SNOW 115 

supper in some West Indian isle; for in Lap- 
land no oranges, no pinies, no watermelons 
grow, no plantains, no banana.” 

Man of Snow: ^‘Me never say they did 
grow there.” 

When the Man of Snow said this we all 
of us together cried out, ^‘Oh! Oh!” meaning 
what a story he was telling. 

Man of Snow: ^^Me never mean to say so. 
Me have great big hothouse, all glass, where 
fruit grow; and other t’ing me have brought 
over in fine large ship. Me very rich king; 
hab everything me wish.” 

Mr. Downes: ‘^Rich, dost thou say, in 
money or in land?” 

Man of Snow : ^Tn money, to be sure. Me 
have large chest full of gold — Lapland gold 
and guineas, too — my friend and brother, the 
King of England, send me; and me have 
plenty land, too. Large fields of rice — no, not 
rice; rice not grow in Lapland — me know dat 
very well. Me mean to say, large plantation 
of sugar cane.” 

Mr. Downes : ‘‘Nor doth the sugar cane in 
Lapland grow.” 


ii6 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Man of Snow: “Me know that very well — 
me just going to say so. But me try to make 
him grow; me try to bring new tings into my 
country; me try to get horses and oxen, and 
sheep, and deer, and dogs, and many bullfrogs, 
and rattlesnakes. Me want to change scorpions 
and mosquitoes into butterflies and lady-birds. 
Me want to have all manner of fine house for 
fine birds — parrots and macaws, with green 
wings and scarlet tails and blue breasts, and 
topknots; and peacocks and birds of paradise 
and a great pond of gold and silver fishes. 
And me mean to build great big bamboo house 
for all these, twice as high as my head.” 

As the Man of Snow said this, we all saw 
his head shake a little, as if he was in a great 
fuss with what he was thinking about doing; 
and we even thought we saw the upper part 
of the figure shake a little, and some pieces 
of snow began to crumble and fall. But he 
went on speaking again. 

Man of Snow: “And me mean to have ele- 
phants and rhinoceroses and apes with long 
arms and blue noses. And me mean to build 
a house for elephants very large and very 


THE MAN OF SNOW 


117 

strong; so that when we catch wild elephant, 
he no can get out. He try, and try — but he 
can’t.’’ 

Here we all saw the Man of Snow shake 
again. 

Man of Snow: “Makey house all sides very 
strong bamboo. See him angry-trunk poke 
through the bars of cage — but all too fast and 
strong. He no can get out. Then he make 
trumpet noise with trunk, and him lilly cun- 
ning eye look so very angry; and then he run 
him head right against the front of cage to try 
and push him down! but it is all too strong, 
and he can’t — yet he push! and push! — and 
trumpet with trunk — and push! and, oh, 
Massa Down!” 

As the Man of Snow uttered these words 
off rolled his head and broke into twenty 
pieces! — and the next instant the whole figure 
cracked, and opened in the middle and fell to 
pieces — and out rolled George Poole upon the 
snow, crying out: “Oh, Massa Down, why you 
no build him stronger?” 

You may suppose how we all laughed. 
One of the young ladies almost went into a fit 


ii8 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


of laughing and most of us laughed till we had 
a pain at both sides of the face, and yet we 
were unable to stop. 

Even Mr. Downes laughed; not at first, 
though; at first he made a very long face, then 
he began, ^^te ! he ! he !” — and ^^he ! he ! he !” till 
at last he went into ^‘ha! ha! ha! Oh, dear 
me!” — and was obliged to sit down upon the 
snow and wipe his forehead to recover him- 
self. 

We all returned to the house very merrily 
laughing all the way. We brought the King 
of Lapland with us, for George had always 
been a^favourite in the village. So we told the 
cook to give his Majesty a large basin of rice, 
milk, and sugar, and mamma sent him after- 
wards a large slice of plum cake, and a tum- 
bler with some sugar and lemons. Papa 
requested Mr. Downes to come in to sup- 
per with us, but he said that he really must 
go home, as his granddaughter and the black- 
bird would think something had happened to 
him. Papa, however, would take no denial, 
so we made Mr. Downes come in, and then we 
sent a man for his granddaughter with a mes- 


THE MAN OF SNOW 119 

sage that she was to bring the blackbird with 
her. 

So, in a few minutes afterwards, in came a 
pretty little girl of ten years of age, with blue 
eyes and flaxen hair, and a complexion like a 
rose, bringing in her hand a large milk-white 
wicker cage with the blackbird sitting in the 
middle. He was as black as coal with a yel- 
low bill, and oh ! such a bright, black eye. He 
sat on his perch with his head bent on one side 
a little, then he jumped down to the bottom of 
the cage, and, poking his head between the 
bars, gave a look all round. He then hopped 
back into the middle of the cage, bowed very 
low and very quickly several times, and then 
hopped upon his perch with his tail toward us, 
but instantly whisked round, as if he was 
afraid somebody was going to touch his tail. 
Then he began to sing. He sang nearly all 
supper time, and flapped his black wings while 
we all stood up and drank the health of Mr. 
Gaffer Downes, the artist who had made the 
Man of Snow. 


BUTTERWOPS 

Edward Abbott Parry 

Once upon a time there was a black beetle 
named Butterwops. He was very old, very 
wise, and had seen a great deal of the world. 
He had lived in a number of different houses, 
and was said to know more about the various 
qualities of sugar than a blue-bottle, and to 
understand the ways of men better than a 
cricket. Therefore, it is not to be wondered 
at that he became the leader of a small army 
of beetles, who called him “The General.” 
He had a thick hoarse laugh, and could tell 
many tales, both fierce and merry, of battles 
he had fought against earwigs, cockroaches, 

Used by permission of the author. 

120 


BUTTERWOPS 


I2I 


and caterpillars. But for some time his laugh 
had not been heard, and he had been sad and 
melancholy, for his army were dying by the 
thousands, and if things went on in the way 
they were going, there would soon be not a 
single beetle left to listen to the tales of ‘^The 
General.” 

The kitchen he lived in had plenty to eat 
in it, and was warm and comfortable, with 
lots of cracks in the walls and ceiling to live 
in during the day; but lately the master of 
the house had taken to spreading yellow pow- 
der over the floor and the young beetles would 
eat it, and it disagreed with them and 
they died. This yellow powder, so Butter- 
wops told me, smelled deliciously of sugar 
and cheese and all the young beetles, being 
greedy, ate it up wherever they could find 
it. What happened to them after they tasted 
it was this: as soon as they had three mouth- 
fuls, they felt a bad pain underneath their 
shell, turned over on their backs, kicked a 
little and died, and in the morning the cook 
swept them up and threw them into the gar- 
den. No wonder that Butterwops felt sad. 
He himself never tasted anything unless he 


122 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


had seen another beetle try it first and had 
watched him walk about for quite five min- 
utes. That is how he came to live to be old 
and became general; but he told nobody about 
that, keeping it a secret. 

Butterwops had a great-grandson called lit- 
tle Jimmy. He was very lively and adven- 
turous, and was always trotting across the floor 
in the daytime to frighten the cook; so it is 
a wonder he had lived as long as he had. He 
did not eat the yellow powder, for he was 
an obedient little beetle, and always did what 
Butterwops told him to do. As he ran about 
so much in the daytime he was generally the 
first to hear the news, and one day, about this 
time, he came to Butterwops and told him 
that the house on the other side of the street 
was rented, and he had seen some people mov- 
ing into it while he was sitting on the win- 
dow-sill in the gloaming on Thursday even- 
ing, which was the cook’s night out. 

^Tancy that!” said Butterwops. ‘Why I 
used to live in that house when I was a tiny 
little beetle just your size. It’s a grand old 
house. Not a skirting board within half an 
inch of the floor, cracks in all the walls and 


BUTTERWOPS 


123 

holes in the plaster. I wonder what sort of 
people are living in it.” 

‘‘Newly married people,” said little Jim- 
my, “whatever that may mean. I heard the 
cook say so, and the policeman told her about 
it.” 

“Ah!” said Butterwops, rubbing his hind 
legs together thoughtfully; “newly married 
people. They will do for us. They will have 
lots of sugar and leave it about, and then they 
will get some children to live with them, and 
the children won’t eat fat and will make 
crumbs all over the floors; there will be lots 
to eat. We shall move.” 

That night “The General” called all the 
beetles round him after the cook had rolled 
the rug up and had gone to bed, and, sitting 
on the heel of one of the master’s boots which 
were drying on the fender, explained to all 
the beetles that they must move across the 
road. “For,” said he, “there is a newly mar- 
ried couple over the way. Now this kind 
of human being eats little else than sugar, 
and knows nothing of the ways of the world 
or the habits of the beetle. Their hearts are 
full of kindliness, and believing others to be 


124 the garnet story book 

as good as they are, they leave the best food 
in the easiest places. So happy are they to- 
gether, that they would not interfere with the 
happiness of others, even though they are 
black and wear shells. With them we may 
live for many years in health and comfort, 
whereas, here we die by tens and twenties 
every night. Arise, therefore, and follow me 
carefully and quickly. But when you are on 
the pavements in the road listen carefully for 
the tread of the policeman. If he comes 
among us while we are on the pavements he 
will kill many of us, for policemen have big- 
ger feet than any other kind of men; only, 
luckily, they wear squeaky boots so that they 
may be heard coming a long way off. Now 
follow me and remember what I have said.” 

So speaking he crawled off the boot, down 
across the floor, under the scullery door, along 
the garden walk, across the pavements, in at 
the opposite gateway, round to the back door 
of the other house; and in half an hour But- 
tenvops, little Jimmy, and two hundred and 
forty-nine of the beetles were safe in their 
new house, having crossed the road with the 
loss of only three beetles. Two tumbled down 


BUTTERWOPS 


I2S 

a drain, and a third lost his way in trying to 
make a short cut across a flower bed. 

They all set to work to get comfortable in 
their new quarters, and Butterwops, who liked 
to be near the fire, found a crack in the wall 
on top of the oven where they dried the wood. 
From this place of safety, he could come out 
and walk about among the warm wood and 
enjoy the heat, and yet run away on the first 
alarm. 

^This is capital,’’ he said, as he sat warm- 
ing himself and watching twenty-five beetles 
climbing into the sugar basin at once; “this 
is peace and quiet, and here we shall be very 
happy.” 

As for the master of the old house they had 
lived in, he was very happy too, and wrote 
and told the man from whom he had bought 
the yellow powder: “Your powder has killed 
all the beetles in my house.” And the man 
who sold the powder printed that in all the 
newspapers, and other people bought it; but 
it did not kill all their beetles, and that made 
them angry. Now if they read this story they 
will know how it really happened. 


126 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


Although, as I have said, the house itself 
was very old, and suitable for beetles in every 
respect, yet all the things in the house were 
new, and perhaps the newest thing of all was 
the young servant, who seemed rather jealous 
of the other new things and often broke them. 
At present they had no cat, and as there was 
no one else to blame, the new mistress scolded 
the new servant, and then they both cried; es- 
pecially if it happened, as it often did, that 
what was broken was a wedding present. 
However, the mistress was far too happy to be 
angry for long, and too proud of all the beau- 
tiful pots and pans in the kitchen, which she 
loved better than any of the lovely furniture 
in the drawing-room, to keep away from them 
for many hours. Besides, the young servant 
did not know much about anything, and the 
mistress used to help her to cook, and espe- 
cially to get the master’s tea ready when he 
came home. Indeed, in spite of the break- 
ages, they were all very happy. The mistress 
used to go about the house singing brightly 
and cheerfully; while the young servant had 


BUTTERWOPS 


127 

four lumps of sugar in her tea and a large 
slice of cake with it every night, so that she 
was quite happy, although singing was out 
of the question. As for the master, you had 
only to see him running up the house steps to 
see how glad he was to get home again after 
his day’s work. 

And dear old Butterwops ! Why, it did his 
kind heart good to see so much happiness. 
The food was left about in easy places, and 
the larder door was always wide open so that 
you did not have to scrape your shell getting 
underneath it. It was a grand place for bee- 
tles, and Butterwops told them that if they 
kept quiet during the day and came out only 
at night, things would go well with them. In- 
deed, I have no doubt it would have been as 
he said, if they had only obeyed his instruc- 
tions; but beetles, like children, sometimes 
forget to do what they are told. 

Little Jimmy, for instance, was never happy 
unless he was frightening womenkind, and one 
afternoon three or four days after they had 
arrived, when the mistress and her servant 


128 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


were getting tea ready, he scuttled across the 
room, helter-skelter, right under their eyes. 
The girl saw him first and threw the toasting 
fork on to the best tea-things, breaking two 
cups and saucers with it; she bounded on to 
a chair, pulled her skirts tight round her legs 
and screamed out, ^^Beetles! Black ones.” 

In a moment the mistress dropped the ket- 
tle, which nearly crushed little Jimmy, and 
jumped on to the table herself, screaming 
louder than the servant. Little Jimmy could 
hardly get under the skirting board, he was 
laughing so, and old Butterwops, looking out 
cautiously from the wood pile grunted to him- 
self, ‘Tittle Jimmy again,” for he knew who 
must have done it as soon as he heard the 
women screaming. 

How long the two ladies might have stayed 
there screaming before they would have dared 
to step down on to the floor again I do not 
know, but the master of the house came in just 
then, and hearing the cause of the trouble 
laughed aloud and said. “If there are beetles, 
I will get a beetle trap.” And he did so. 


BUTTERWOPS 


129 

That night he brought one into the kitchen, 
and before they went to bed he and his wife 
mixed up a dose of treacle and sugar and put 
it in the trap and left the trap on the floor. 
Butterwops was looking on all the time from 
out of the wood pile, and he laughed all down 
the back of his shell at them. He had seen 
that kind of beetle trap before. It was a box 
of wood, with sloping sides to walk up and a 
sort of inkstand in the middle, leading to the 
sugar and treacle. When you walk up the 
sides, you smelled the mixture and if you went 
to the edge of the glass inkstand, you stepped 
in and got drowned. There was no getting 
out of it. 

That night Butterwops was very anxious 
about the other beetles, for he knew what duf- 
fers they were, so he got down right away and 
sat on the edge of the trap and told them all 
about it. As the master of the house had 
been foolish enough to leave the sugar and 
treacle on the table, no one bothered about 
the trap. They had a merry feast, only spoilt 
by one giddy young beetle tumbling head first 


130 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

into the treacle pot, and there the master found 
him when he came down to light the fire. 
When he found nothing in the trap, and the 
dead beetle in the treacle pot on the table, he 
seemed very angry and threw both treacle 
and trap out of the scullery window, across 
the garden into the ashpit. 

“To-night,” he said, “we will have a hedge- 
hog!” 

Butterwops, who had stuck his head out of 
his crack to see what was going on, drew it 
back quickly and shuddered at this, for he 
knew what hedge-hogs were. His grand- 
father had been eaten by one in a garden close 
to the house, and he had heard they were ter- 
rible fellows for catching beetles, as indeed 
they are. 

Sure enough, that night the master brought 
home a hedge-hog, a little prickly round ball 
in a basket. He unrolled himself by the fire 
and had a cup of milk. 

“Let us call him Curlywig,” said the mis- 
tress, as she poured out the milk; “he is such 
a little darling. See him drink.” 


BUTTERWOPS 


131 

So they called him Curlywig; but he paid 
no attention to them, and curled up on the 
rug and went to «leep. 

That night Butterwops did not come down 
from the fireplace, but looked out from the 
wood pile in great trouble. When all his 
army of beetles were creeping and crawling 
over the floor, picking up food and having a 
rare good time, he kept shouting out from the 
edge of a log: “Do go home! Do go in! 
There’s a hedge-hog in the corner.” 

But some of the beetles went close to Curly- 
wig to look at him, and came back and said to 
Butterwops: “Nonsense, it’s only a mop-head. 
You are growing old and nervous. General. 
Go to bed and let us eat in peace.” 

Almost as soon as they had spoken, Curly- 
wig unrolled himself, and darting here and 
there and everywhere, went round the room 
cracking up beetles furiously while poor old 
Butterwops sat wringing his feelers and cry- 
ing out from the wood pile: “I told you so! 
I told you so!” 

From that time onwards, there was no 


132 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

peace for beetles. If one put his head up 
above a crack in the floor, Curlywig was on 
to him and he was snapped up. In three days, 
one hundred and four beetles had been eaten, 
and the rest were all starving. Butterwops 
himself had not tasted bite or sup all the time, 
and you could hear little Jimmy crying be- 
hind the skirting-board that he had nothing 
to eat and was very hungry. 

How long this might have gone on no one 
can say, but at last Butterwops hit on a bright 
idea, and the next night as soon as the people 
of the house were in bed, he came to the edge 
of the wood pile and said to the hedge-hog: 
“Mr. Curlywig, sir!’^ 

Curlywig looked up, and seeing a beetle, 
snapped his jaws at him but said nothing. 

“Mr. Curlywig, sir, can you explain to me 
why you are here?’’ 

“To eat beetles, I suppose. What better 
job can you have? I’d eat you if you would 
come down, though you look rather old and 
tough, and there are lots of young ones left 
yet.” 


BUTTERWOPS 


133 

‘‘Ah, but I sha’n’t come down, thank you,” 
said Butterwops, smiling blandly. “I sup^ 
pose,” he continued, as if he was merely think- 
ing it out, “you don’t know what it is like 
to be eaten, do you?” 

“Not I,” said Curlywig, “How should I?” 

“No, of course not,” said Butterwops. 
“Poor little fellow, how should he! It seems 
a cruel shame to bring him here for that. 
Poor little fellow!” 

“Who is a poor little fellow?” asked Curly- 
wig, rather angrily. 

“That’s what the mistress said, while you 
were asleep,” said Butterwops, innocently, 
“as she was making the pie-crust. She said, 
‘Poor little fellow, I hope they won’t hurt him 
skinning him!’ ” 

Curlywig shivered in every prickle. “Who 
is to be skinned?” he snapped out, looking 
round nervously. 

“The cookery book was open at Hedgehog 
Tart,” went on Butterwops, quite coolly, as 
though he was talking about the weather, “and 
the servant said at the rate you were eating 


134 the garnet story BOOK 

beetles she thought you would be fat enough 
by to-morrow.” 

‘‘Dear me! dear me!” said Curlywig; “what 
wicked things these men are. I remember 
now when the master of the house bought 
me, he said : ‘Lean little beggar this, but he’ll 
soon fatten up at our house for we are full 
of black beetles,’ What wretches they are! 
What shall I do?” 

“As far as I can learn,” continued Butter- 
wops, “it is done like this. You take a young 
hedge-hog, the fatter the better, first remove 
the prickles and skin quickly ” 

“Do be quiet,” groaned Curlywig, rolling 
himself up into a ball. “What shall I do? 
What shall I do?” 

“That is to say,” said Butterwops, “that is 
how it is done if they decide on tart. If it’s to 
be curry you won’t be skinned, only then you 
will catch it hotter in the saucepan.” 

“Shut up!” shouted Curlywig, running 
round the kitchen table in despair. “Oh my 
poor prickles! What shall I do?” 

“Well, if I were you,” continued the Gen- 


BUTTERWOPS 


I3S 

eral, calmly, do not think I should stay on, 
but do not go on my account. You might 
squeeze under the scullery door if you wanted 
to, or you may stay and be eaten and I have 
no doubt you will look as handsome in a tart 
as you do out of it. But after all, handsome 
is as handsome does, and the real question is 
what will you taste like. Now you will never 
know, but I shall hear all about it. Yes,” 
chuckled Buttercups, “I shall hear all about 
it.” 

Curlywig was now galloping round the 
room mad with terror, shouting out: “Oh, my 
poor prickles! Oh, my poor prickles!” 

Butterwops continued slowly as though he 
was addressing a dear friend. “I am really 
very sorry for you, but don’t worry so much. 
They are going to put some steak and kidney 
in the pie, so you will have company; and I 
dare say being baked is not bad, though I fear 
you won’t like the skinning, especially this 
chilly weather. But it will soon be over, and 
once inside the oven you will be warm again 
in a jiffy.” 


136 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Curlywig did not hear all this. He had 
heard enough. The foolish fellow believed 
every word Butterwops said to him, and when 
he came to the word skinning, Curlywig ut- 
tered a wild shriek and away he fled under- 
neath the scullery door, across the garden, 
out into the fields beyond the church, where 
he hid in a dry ditch for three days, and dared 
not move out for fear the people of the house 
were hunting him. 

Then the beetles had peace and grew up 
with the children who came to stay at that 
house, and cleaned up the floors, and kept 
out of sight as much as might be. Even little 
Jimmy grew wiser and gave up frightening 
the mistress. No one ever heard of Curlywig 
any more. And everyone in that house, from 
the master of it down to little Jimmy, lived 
happily ever afterwards. 

This much more there is to tell: that if 
you can make friends with a black beetle you 
should get him to tell you stories of Butter- 
wops. And this any good beetle will do will- 
ingly, for there never has been such a General 


BUTTERWOPS 


137 

as he was before or since. But of all the many 
tales of his valour and wisdom, there is none 
they love to tell better than the story of how 
he outwitted Curlywig the Hedgehog. 
“That,” as little Jimmy said at a dinner given 
by all the beetles to their General to celebrate 
Curlywig’s flight, “is a story fit to be written 
in letters of Treacle on the Skirting Boards 
of Time.” (Adapted.)^ 


FINIKIN AND HIS GOLDEN PIPPINS 


Madame De Chatelaine 

In a quiet little village surrounded by woods, 
there once lived a poor couple who owned 
nothing in the world but their cottage which 
sheltered them and a bit of ground where a 
few vegetables grew. They were blessed with 
two pretty little twin boys, much alike in 
face, though very different in character. One 
was a tidy, diligent, active little fellow, whom, 
on account of his delicate beauty, his mother 
used to call Finikin. The other was an idle, 
careless child, who always loitered if sent on 
an errand, and grumbled when asked to do 
any kind of work. This one the mother called 
Winikin. 

The father earned a little money by going 
out to work as a day labourer. As long as he 
138 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 139 

remained hale and hearty, he managed to pro- 
vide for the wants of his family. But one sum- 
mer he fell ill, and as they were too poor to 
buy good food and medicine he grew worse 
and worse, till at length his recovery seemed 
almost hopeless. 

One day the patient wife thought of a good 
old hermit who lived in the neighboring for- 
est, and who often gave advice to the poor 
cottagers. He had cured many a one with 
medicine made from plants and other homely 
remedies. She, therefore, called her boys and 
bade them go and ask the hermit what could 
be done for their sick father. 

“The good man may send you to gather 
healing plants,” she said, “such as he often 
points out to the villagers. Be sure to follow 
his directions carefully and above all, do not 
loiter on the way.” She divided a rye-cake 
between them, to eat by the way, and off 
started the two boys for the forest. No sooner 
had they reached it than they saw from afar 
an old huntsman smoking his pipe under a 
tree. 


140 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

‘^OhP’ cried Winikin, forgetting his moth- 
er’s caution, ^‘there is old Roger! Let’s go 
to him instead of to the hermit. He always 
tells us such pleasant stories.” 

‘^But father is very sick and mother told 
us not to loiter on the way,” said Finikin. 

“Surely,” said Winikin, “Roger’s advice 
will be as good as the hermit’s. I shall not 
go any farther.” 

So Finikin trudged on alone to the good 
old man’s cell where he found him making 
medicine from herbs he had gathered in the 
forest. 

“Good hermit,” said Finikin eagerly, “will 
you not give me some of your medicine for 
my sick father?” 

“I will, indeed,” said the old man. “But 
my child there is something more than these 
herbs needed to cure your father; and it must 
be fetched from a long distance.” 

“I will go anywhere for it,” declared Fini- 
kin, quickly. 

“Then my son,” replied the hermit, “you 
must go to a garden five or six miles off. None 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 141 

but little children like yourself can enter; 
therefore, it would be of no use if I or any 
other grown person attempted to go with you. 
This garden is situated on top of a cluster of 
high rocks. Should you have the persever- 
ance to reach it, you will find it full of trees, 
bearing all kinds of fruit which several little 
boys always keep gathering. You must ask 
them to give you some golden pippins for 
your father. If they consent all will be well; 
but if they try to keep you to play with them, 
you must not stay, for the hours would pass 
so quickly, that your father might die before 
you returned.” 

Finikin listened very carefully. ‘Tlease 
tell me the way to this wonderful garden,” 
he said. 

The hermit opened the door at the back 
of his cell, which led to a small piece of 
ground where he grew his vegetables. He 
showed Finikin a kind of tunnel hollowed out 
in a grotto through which he could see a dis- 
tant view of green meadows and blue moun- 
tains, and told him that way would lead him 


142 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

in the right direction. He then described 
carefully all the objects the lad was to pass 
on the road, and told him above all things 
neither to idle as he went along nor listen 
to anyone who should offer to show him a 
shorter way. Finikin promised he would not, 
and thanking the hermit, lost no time in start- 
ing off to find the wonderful garden where 
the golden pippins grew. 

Winikin, meanwhile, after losing at least 
half an hour talking to the old huntsman, and 
playing with his dog, suddenly thought how 
heartless he had been, and asked Roger to tell 
what he had better do to help his father to 
get well. 

“Do not stand idling here, youngster, for 
one thing,” said Roger; “and next go and ask 
advice of the hermit, who knows better than 
anyone else what can be done to save your 
father!” 

“Oh! but my brother has gone there, so it 
is of no use for me to go too,” said Winikin; 
“and he is too far for me to catch him, so please 
tell me something else I can do instead!” 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 143 

The huntsman thought awhile, and at last 
said: have heard of a wonderful garden 

some three miles east of the forest, where all 
kinds of fruits made of precious stones grow 
all the year round. The currants are rubies, 
the apples are topazes, and the plums are 
amethysts or sapphires. If you are able to 
reach this garden and gather a basketful of 
cherries you might enrich yourself and fam- 
ily for life; and then your father might have 
the best doctors. He would want for noth- 
ing and might soon get well.” 

Winikin was delighted at the idea of such a 
garden, and asked Roger to show him the way 
to it. 

The old huntsman then took him to a kind 
of grotto that was so completely hidden by 
brushwood that the little boy had never seen 
it before though he had often crossed that 
part of the forest. When the twigs that 
choked up the entry had been put aside he 
saw a hollow passage and a view of distant 
meadows and hills. Then Roger carefully 
described all the objects the lad was to pass 


144 the garnet story BOOK 

on the road, so that he could not miss the way. 
Also, he bade him not to loiter on the way for 
fear he should not be back by nightfall. 

Winikin now entered the grotto but kept 
stopping every minute to admire its pretty 
sparkling walls, which glistened like diamonds 
and rubies as a sunbeam shone through the 
narrow opening. At last, however, he came 
out into the open meadows, in a part of a 
country which he had never seen before. Here 
he met a beautiful little boy with golden locks 
and cheeks as blooming as a ripe peach. He 
was carrying a couple of hoops on his arm. 

‘Will you come and play with me?” asked 
the little stranger whose name was Goldlocks. 

“Why,” said Winikin slowly, thinking of 
the huntsman’s advice not to loiter on the way, 
“I should like that very much, but I’m going 
to a beautiful garden beyond the hills and I’m 
afraid of being too late.” 

“Oh, don’t fear that,” said the little boy, 
“for we will trundle our hoops that way. You 
will get on much faster with a hoop than 
without one. Come !” 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 145 

The lad offered Winikin one of the hoops 
which were made of finely worked silver. Al- 
so, there was a small ivory stick to trundle 
it with. 

Winikin could not resist. He took a beau- 
tiful hoop and stick from Goldlocks who said : 

‘‘Once, twice, thrice, away!” and off they 
went like the wind. 

Winikin thought to reach the hills in about 
five minutes, but at a turn in the road little 
Goldlocks kept trundling on his hoop faster 
than before. 

Winikin suspected they were not taking the 
shortest road to the hills, but fearing Gold- 
locks would win the game he sped after him 
as fast as he could. 

At length Winikin stopped and was panting 
for breath. Goldlocks laughed and stopped, 
too, saying, “There’s enough of hoop-trund- 
ling!” and he flung them over a hedge into 
a neighbouring field. “Now we’ll stop and 
rest and play at marbles.” 

Then he drew from his pocket some pearls 
as large and round as other children’s mar- 


146 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

bles and Winikin, who dearly loved this game, 
could not resist playing. 

‘‘I have come along so fast,” he said to him- 
self, ‘‘that no time will be lost.” 

It was now high noon and the sun had 
grown so hot that Winikin felt tired and 
thirsty. 

“Let us go into this wood and gather straw- 
berries,” said Goldlocks. 

Winikin thought the idea was excellent, so 
he said, “Yes, we shall get on faster after we 
have eaten some fruit.” 

Accordingly, the little boys went into the 
wood, and, in about five minutes, Goldlocks 
had gathered enough strawberries to fill Win- 
ikin’s hat. They were larger and more de- 
licious than any he had ever tasted before. 

When Winikin had eaten his fill, he wished 
to go on. 

“Oh!” said his companion, “it is still too 
hot to walk fast. If you wait awhile under 
the shade of this pretty wood, you will get 
on all the better a little later in the afternoon.” 

“All right,” said Winikin, and the lads sat 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 147 

down on the grass. Goldlocks now drew from 
his pocket a humming top and set it spinning. 
It was made of a single carbuncle and was 
topped at each end with a diamond. It was 
called a humming top but it should haveTieen 
«alled a musical top for the sounds it gave 
forth were as beautiful as an Eolian harp, 
arnd they formed distinct tunes. Winikin lis- 
tened in speechless joy, till at length, tired 
out with play and amusement, he fell fast 
asleep. 

Little Finikin, meanwhile, on getting out 
into the meadows, carefully noticed all the 
objects the hermit had described, so as to be 
sure to lose neither time nor way till at last 
he came to a field where he saw a little boy 
slitting on a bank, and crying bitterly. 

Finikin felt so sorry for him that he stopped 
atfid said, ^What is the matter?” 

“Oh,” cried he, “I am waiting for someone 
to play with. My name is Brownlocks. Who 
are you?” 

“I am Finikin,” said our little friend, “but 
I cannot stop to play. I am trying to find an 


148 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

orchard of wonderful fruit. I shall take some 
of it back to my sick father. The fruit will 
help to cure him.” 

“Play with me awhile,” said Brownlocks. 
“I can take you to a garden where you will 
find better fruit than that which grows in the 
orchard you are looking for.” 

But Finikin remembered the hermit’s words 
and persisted in going on his way. When he 
looked to see if the little boy was following 
him, Finikin found he had disappeared. 

Finikin hurried on, and at length the scen- 
ery began to grow wilder as he came near the 
end of his journey. The rocks were higher 
and more abrupt and the vegetation more lux- 
uriant, and soon in great joy he stopped, looked 
at the top of a great pile of rocks, and cried 
out, “There is the wonderful garden! It 
looks like a giant basket of fruit and flowers! 
How shall I ever climb up to it!” 

Finikin went round the base of the rocks 
and looked carefully to see if he could find 
a path leading to the summit. No such thing 
was to be found but he saw a cleft between two 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 149 

rocks over which fell a cascade. The water 
had shrunk to a mere thread because the sea- 
son had been very dry. Either the work of 
nature or the hand of man had formed rocks 
into rough steps, which' were almost covered 
with a sheet of water. Finikin determined 
to climb the steps although they were slippery 
and dangerous. Slowly and carefully he made 
his way to the top where a hedge formed a 
circle round the garden. He crept through 
the prickly bushes and saw before him an 
earthly paradise. The grass was dotted over 
with every variety of rare, richly coloured 
flowers; the trees were loaded with fruit that 
shone like precious stones; the air was studded 
with the gayest butterflies; and birds with 
gold and silver plumage were hopping from 
branch to branch and trilling the sweetest 
songs. 

Though Finikin was dazzled and charmed 
by all he saw, he walked on without stopping 
until he came to some little boys who were 
gathering plums. 

^Who comes here?” said the boys on seeing 


150 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

the little stranger. ‘^And how did you get in- 
to our garden?’^ 

“I come from the hermit in the forest,” 
cried Finikin. ^‘He said you could give me 
some pippins that would cure my father.” 

^^Oh! if you come from the hermit you shall 
have some pippins,” said one of the boys who 
was Brownlocks. “Only you must gather 
them yourself.” 

Then they led Finikin to another tree with 
a trunk as smooth and shining as glass. Golden 
pippins grew on the great branches at the top 
of the tree. 

“Gather as many as you like,” said the little 
boys. 

Finikin then began to climb the tree. He 
kept slipping down every moment and, strange 
to say, the trunk kept growing higher and 
higher as if it would reach the sky. 

Now it happened that Finikin had a lot 
of chalk in his pocket. By crumbling it to 
pieces in his hands he managed to grasp the 
tree trunk firmly and after many patient ef- 
forts he reached the top of the tree. He now 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 151 

filled his hat and pockets with pippins that 
were as clear as topazes. The fruit was very 
heavy and when Finikin began to descend the 
tree his load of pippins was so heavy that it 
dragged him down faster and faster until he 
reached the ground. It was now twilight. 
The boys had picked up all their plums and 
had gone. 

Finikin looked around in all directions, and 
finally, he discovered in the distance a gleam 
of light. He walked quickly up to it and 
found it came from a fruit storehouse of white 
marble. Here were silver filigree baskets 
filled with every kind of fruit and arranged 
neatly on shelves. All the fruit in the silver 
baskets was soft and eatable, while that in the 
golden baskets was turned to precious stones! 
The dark plums were sapphires and ame- 
thysts; the greengages and gooseberries, emer- 
alds; the cherries, garnets; the whitehearts, 
rubies, dark on one side and almost white on 
the other; the black currants, black pearls. A 
number of beautiful empty baskets were hang- 
ing on gold and silver hooks. 


152 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Here Finikin found one of the boys, who 
wished him joy of his success, and after help- 
ing him to empty his pippins into a gold bas- 
ket, the lad led Finikin down a flight of green- 
ish marble steps into a beautiful hall which 
was lighted up with mother-of-pearl lamps 
hanging from the ceiling. Here in the center 
of the room supper was laid. The table was 
of citron-wood, and round the board were 
set cedar stools. On the walls countless toys 
of every description hung on golden hooks. 

Finikin was so hungry after his day’s work 
that he was glad enough to sit down and eat 
his supper. 

When their meal was over Brownlocks 
said: ^^Now, Finikin, we will play some 
games.” 

But Finikin begged leave to go, as it was 
already late and he was afraid he could not 
reach home till the night was half spent. 

“If you are afraid of being out in the 
night,” said one of the little friends, “you may 
stay and sleep in the empty bed of one of our 
comrades who is absent; and to-morrow, at 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 153 

sunrise, we will go with you a part of the way, 
and play together as we go along.” 

‘‘I must not stay,” said Finikin. “My father 
is very ill, dear friends, and I hope to reach 
home before it is too late.” 

“You shall do as you like,” said the boys. 
Then one of them took down from the wall 
a stick with a nag’s head. 

“Take this toy with you,” he said. 

It was a very simple toy, but Finikin was 
delighted with the gift. 

“It will carry you six times as fast as a 
horse, wherever you wish to go,” cried the lit- 
tle boys. 

Finikin clapped his hands for joy and said, 
“May I have a toy for Winikin, my brother?” 

“No,” they said, “Winikin must come him- 
self for a toy. We cannot send him one.” 

Finikin thanked the lads and wished them 
good-night. 

“Good-night, Finikin,” they cried; **you 
may come to see us every Midsummer Eve 
on your nag. He will always find the way 
although you couldn’t. Good-night!” 


154 the garnet story BOOK 

So Finikin left Magic Toyland. As soon 
as he was out-of-doors and had placed his bas- 
ket of pippins on his arm he mounted his stick 
with the nag’s head. 

Away he started! He had scarcely time to 
wonder how he should manage to ride down 
the steep rocks. He seemed to be sinking 
deeper and deeper and without knowing how, 
he found himself in the long narrow passage 
leading to the hermit’s garden. 

All this time Winikin lay asleep in the 
woods. The sun was low in the western sky 
when he opened his eyes and saw Goldlocks 
sitting on the grass playing with a cup and 
ball. 

‘Tend me that plaything,” said Winikin. 

“No,” said Goldlocks, “I have something 
which two of us can play with.” 

He pointed to a couple of golden drums 
covered with finest vellum that were lying 
in the grass. The drumsticks were of ebony 
inlaid with mother-of-pearl. 

“We’ll play hide-and seek,” he said. “I’ll 
hide first and then I will beat my drum and 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 155 

you must try to guess from the sound where I 
am.’’ 

^^That will be good fun,” said Winikin. 

Goldlocks ran and hid himself. At the beat- 
ing of the drum Winikin found him quite 
easily. Then Winikin hid but he hadHiardly 
struck the drum with his stick until there was 
Goldlocks ! So they played for some time but 
at last Goldlocks hid himself so well that, 
though he kept beating his drum, Winikin 
could not find him. He ran to the right and 
to the left but it was of no use. The sound 
seemed to come from all directions at once. 
He tapped his own drum, and cried out, 
“Come back, Goldlocks! Where are you? 
Come back!” 

He beat his drum so hard that it snapped! 
It was growing very dark! The brambles 
grew thicker at every step! The sound of 
Goldlocks’ drum was growing fainter and 
fainter until at last Winikin could not hear it 
at all. He scratched his hands and tore his 
clothes at every step, but at last he found a 
path which led out of the thick wood. 


IS6 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

He walked along until he came to a small 
lake; “Oh! what shall I do,” he cried. “IVe 
missed the way old Roger told me to take! 
Where shall I stay to-night!” 

In a little while he saw Goldlocks with 
smiling face coming towards him. The lad 
carried a couple of battledores, covered with 
silver nets. The handles were of richly carved 
gold. He had a shuttlecock, too, which was 
made from the plumes of a humming- 
bird. 

“Why, what is the matter?” asked Gold- 
locks. 

“Oh! I thought you had run away, and 
left me,” cried Winikin. “And IVe lost my 
way! I don’t know what to do.” 

“Let’s play a game of battledore,” was 
Goldlocks’ answer. 

Winikin dried his tears and said* “Tell me 
where you get such pretty toys.” 

“I’ve plenty more at home, and prettier 
ones than these,” replied his companion. 

“I wish you would take me home with you,” 
said Winikin. ^ “Where do you live?” 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 157 

‘‘There across the lake,” said the little boy, 
pointing to some distant hills. 

The lads now played a game of battledore 
and kept tossing the shuttlecock higher and 
higher till at last it fell into the lake at a 
great distance, but remained floating on the 
surface. 

“Let us jump in and see who will catch it 
first,” said Goldlocks. 

Away he darted into the water, and soon 
swam out of sight among the bulrushes that 
grew on an islet in the middle of the lake. 
Winikin believed he could swim, too, so into 
the water he jumped. In the dusk a white 
water-lily looked like the lost shuttlecock. 
Poor Winikin snatched at it, lost Kis balance, 
and fell down in the water. He tried to 
scream out to his companion, but he could not 
make a sound. After this he could not re- 
member what took place. 

Luckily the lake was not deep ; he quickly 
rose to the surface and the gentle waves bore 
him to the shore where he lay insensible for 
several hours, 


158 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

It was near daybreak when Winikin came 
to his senses again. He stared about wonder- 
ing whether it was all a dream, or whether 
he had really played with Goldlocks the day 
before. Then he saw one of the battledores 
lying besides him and the lost shuttlecock. 

“I had better stop here, or else he won’t 
find me if he returns,” thought Winikin. 

He looked up and saw a little boy gallop- 
ing along as fast as his wooden horse would 
carry him! It was Finikin! 

The good little fellow had carried home 
his basket of fruit and had seen his father 
improve after eating one of the golden pippins. 
Then he had gone to find Roger, the hunts- 
man, who said he had sent Winikin to the 
magical garden. Away went Finikin at full 
speed, like a small knight-errant, to seek his 
brother. 

Of course Winikin was ashamed when he 
heard what his brother had done. 

‘T shall go to the wonderful garden and 
bring back a basket of cherries,” he cried. 
^Terhaps they will give me a hobby-horse! 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 159 

Nothing shall tempt me again to idle on the 
way. Will you not lend me your wooden 
nag, brother!” 

“Yes, take it and hurry along,” said Fini- 
kin. 

“Gee-ho!” cried Winikin striding the stick. 
But the nag would not stir a bit faster than 
other sticks that children play with. 

“Come!” said Finikin. “Get up behind 
me!” 

Away went the little lads on the wooden 
horse. In a little while they came to the foot 
of the rocks, where Finikin left his brother. 
Then Finikin galloped home for the little 
boys had told him not to come again until 
Midsummer Eve. 

When he was gone Winikin sat down and 
wondered how he should ever reach the gar- 
den. Perhaps the little boys would come out 
and help him. At least he would let them 
know where he was. He began to toss up the 
shuttlecock. Away it soared as if it had wings 
and lighted on a tree In the garden. At this 
moment a few red streaks were seen in the 


i6o THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


sky and the little boys came out into the gar- 
den. One of them saw the shuttlecock! 

“Who is there?’’ he cried. 

“My name is Winikin. I am Finikin’s twin 
brother,” was the answer. 

“What do you want” asked the boy in the 
garden. 

“I want to see your pretty toys! and I want 
a basket of cherries,” said Winikin. 

The garden lads let down a basket and drew 
him up. There was Goldlocks as merry and 
mischievous looking as ever. 

“You left me in the water, Goldlocks!” said 
Winikin to his playfellow. 

“Yes, I had lost too much time to stay any 
longer,” said Goldlocks. “Come, let us have 
breakfast.” 

They all sat down on the grass under the 
trees and feasted on strawberries and cream 
served in the finest porcelain bowls. 

After breakfast Winikin said, “Now let 
us play.” 

“Oh! we must gather fruit first! There is< 
work to be done. You had better gather your 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS i6i 


basket of cherries,” said one of the lads. “The 
cherry trees are over there. Gather a basket- 
ful from the one which stands in the middle.” 
The lads then went about their work. 

With his usual idle habits Winikin began 
plucking flowers and chasing butterflies. 
When his little friends came to fetch him to 
play games, they found he was not a jot farther 
than when they left him. 

“We can’t play with you, Winikin, until 
you have gathered your fruit,” said Goldlocks. 

And then he laid a golden trap-ball down 
on the grass, and the five little boys began to 
play merrily. 

Winikin saw that he must work before he 
could join them at play so he began to climb 
the tree. What a long time it took him to 
reach the top. The fine cherries which were 
white-hearts were so ripe and juicy you may 
be sure he ate a good many of them. But at 
last he filled his pockets, descended the tree 
and lay down on the grass tired out with his 
work. 

After a time the lads came to fetch him to 


i 62 the garnet story BOOK 


dinner. They first led him through the fruit- 
chamber where they helped him to empty 
his pockets into a silver filigree basket. 

^Tut all you have brought into the basket,” 
said one of the lads; ‘‘for your cherries will 
harden into rubies in two or three days. Come 
now into the hall where dinner is ready.” 

Winikin could scarcely eat for looking at 
the toys in the magical hall. When the meal 
was over he asked leave to play with some of 
them. 

The boys showed him a great many play- 
things he had never seen before but at last 
one of them said, “It is time to start, Winikin, 
if you wish to reach home before night.” 

“Won’t you give me a little wooden nag 
like my brother’s?” asked Winikin. 

“We haven’t another in our collection but 
you may have this toy,” they answered giving 
him an agate cup and ball fastened to a deli- 
cate gold chain. 

Winikin was well pleased with this toy and 
taking up his basket, he followed the little 
boys down a long, long flight of steps which 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 163 

brought them to the bottom of the rocks where 
he saw a little crack just large enough for 
him to creep through. 

“Do you see that large brown butterfly 
whose wings are tipped with dark blue?” 
asked Goldlocks. “Follow him. If you don’t 
lose sight of him he will show you the way.” 

So Winikin started. The butterfly kept 
bobbing up and down, now lighting on this 
flower, and now on that. In fact Winikin 
could very easily keep up with him. But at 
a turn in the road a splendid butterfly rose 
out of a bush. Away darted Winikin after 
him although the lad noticed that the brown 
butterfly went in the opposite direction. 

“I can soon catch up with old Browncoat 
again,” thought Winikin. 

Sunwings, the beautiful butterfly, led Win- 
ikin a fine dance over bank and bush, but at 
last the lad was obliged to give up the chase. 
He was a little surprised to find that he had 
lost some of his cherries in running after the 
golden butterfly. 

“I’ll go back and find old Browncoat,” he 


i 64 the garnet STORY BOOK 

said to himself. ^^After all the loss of a few 
cherries does not matter much. How thirsty 
I am. A few cherries will refresh me.” 

So he sat down and ate several and then took 
out his cup and ball to amuse himself. After 
awhile he got up and again tried to find his 
way. 

^^How hungry and thirsty I am,” he thought, 
taking one cherry after another from his bas- 
ket until it was almost emptied. 

After wandering about until twilight he 
found himself at the foot of the rocks on top 
of which was the magic garden. He tried to 
find the crevice through which he had crept 
out that morning but a foaming cascade was 
dashing down over it. 

He shouted at the top of his voice, “IVe lost 
my way, boys. Let me eat supper with you in 
the hall of toys and sleep here for the 
night.” 

^‘We have eaten supper,” answered the 
boys; ^^but you shall have some. We can’t 
let you stay all night for we have no spare 
bed.” 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 165 

They let down a basket and drew Winikin 
up as before and after taking him into the 
hall they went to bed. After he had eaten 
a hearty meal the boys called out to him to 
put out the lights and leave. 

‘^But,” said Winikin,” how am I to get out 
of the garden?” 

Goldlocks peeped out of his snowy bed 
and said, “There is a bat outside which will 
show you the way, and if you follow him bet- 
ter than you did the butterfly you will reach 
home in fairly good time.” 

Then Winikin put out the lamps in the 
sleeping-room, but before he put out the lights 
in the large hall he couldn’t resist sauntering 
around once more to look at the toys. When 
he reached the door that led to the fruit-cham- 
ber he thought he might as well fill up his 
basket again, as a few cherries could not be 
missed from such a quantity. This he did. 
Then fearing the boys would chide him for his 
delay he began to put out the lights. Very 
foolishly he started with the one nearest the 
outer door, so that by the time he reached the 


i66 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


end of the long hall and put out the last lamp, 
he found himself in the dark. 

Winikin was now so frightened that he 
didn’t know what to do, for, if he tried to move 
in the dark he would be sure to overturn the 
table or the stools, so he cowered down in the 
corner hoping the boys would fall asleep and 
forget him, and that next morning he might 
escape before they were up. But presently 
he heard the boys get up very softly and come 
into the hall saying, ^^There’s a thief here!” 
Winikin held his breath, and hoped to escape 
without notice; but they marched up to the 
corner where he lay hid just as. if it had been 
broad daylight. Each had a rod in his hand 
and Winikin received a sound thrashing. At 
last he cried out, ^Tt is only I. Don’t hurt 
me!” 

Then they stopped and dragged Winikin 
out of the hall. They emptied the basket of 
the cherries he had taken, which were easily 
distinguished from the others, as in his hurry 
he had helped himself out of a golden basket 
to some cherries that had hardened into rubies. 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 167 

Then the lads fetched an ivory ladder of great 
length and putting it over the hedge they 
forced him to leave the garden at once. 

Winikin cried bitterly when he saw the 
ladder taken up again but at last he began to 
think he had better make the best of a bad 
bargain. So he set off and, as Goldlocks had 
promised, a bat flew before him to show him 
the way. 

For awhile he followed his leader carefully 
and made good resolutions as he went along, 
but alas! Suddenly a troop of fireflies flitted 
past him, and he said to himself, ‘^How much 
better they would light me than this tiresome 
bat which keeps flapping his wings in my eyes ! 
The fireflies are like so many lanterns and 
surely they’ll know the way best.” But they 
led him into a bog where he spent the 
night. 

When morning dawned, he looked round 
for some hut where he could ask his way, but 
he recollected to his horror that neither yes- 
terday nor the day before had he seen even a 
single being stirring anywhere. He saw that 


i68 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


he was within a charmed circle, and kept turn- 
ing to no purpose. After toiling for some time 
he again recognized familiar objects, and the 
well-know garden in the distance. Winikin 
hardly dared again apply to the little boys, yet 
having eaten all the cherries to appease his 
hunger, and seeing no chance of freeing him- 
self from his desperate position, he went to the 
rocks and clapped hands. Presently the boys 
appeared. 

“Who dares to come a third time unbid- 
den?” said they. 

“Alas!” cried the foolish wanderer, “I have 
again lost my way, and eaten all the cherries. 
Please take pity and let me come up.” 

“No,” said they, “you do not deserve to 
come into our garden any more; and as you are 
not to be trusted to go home, and we don’t 
wish to be disturbed by you again, we shall 
now send you back.” 

So saying, they disappeared for a moment, 
and soon crept out at the foot of the rocks, 
bringing with them a go-cart, into which they 
put Winikin. 


' FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 169 

‘^All right,” they cried out, and away it 
darted, at the speed which would shame 
an express train. 

The go-cart, vv^ich was indeed worthy of 
its name, ran over hill and dale, rocks and 
water till Winikin thought every moment he 
would be dashed to pieces. At length it 
stopped when it reached his native village, 
before the door of a fine large farm house, and 
then, as if to make up for the lost time the 
moment Winikin had got out, it darted away 
again at double speed and went back to the 
magical garden. 

“How is this?” said Winikin. “I don’t see 
our cottage anywhere,” And then he stopped 
a passer-by, and said to him: “Where do my 
parents live? For some reason I can’t find 
the house!” 

“Straight before your nose, you young id- 
ler,” said the man. 

At the same moment his mother appeared at 
the door of the farm house. 

“Well, Winikin,” she said, putting her arms 
around him, “you have been a long time, but 


170 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

I suppose you have brought something worth 
the trouble.” 

It must be explained, that what had ap- 
peared three days to Winikin was, in fact, 
three weeks, for in that enchanted region a 
single day was equal in time to a week in 
the ordinary world. Finikin had escaped 
from this law, because he had returned before 
midnight, and consequently, had not spent a 
whole day away from home. 

The mother then led Winikin into the house 
where he found Finikin and his father, who 
had quite recovered since he had eaten one 
of the golden pippins. All the rest of them 
had hardened into topazes, and had been sold 
by the parents to a rich jeweler in the near- 
est town. The money received had served to 
buy and stock the farm where they were liv- 
ing. The old cottage had been pulled down, 
and a barn was going to be built on its site. 

^‘And now,” said the father, “though you 
are too late, Winny, to do me any good, let us 
see what you have brought.” 

Winikin was very much ashamed to have 


FINIKIN AND HIS PIPPINS 171 

nothing to show but an empty basket nor did 
he improve matters by telling his parents that 
“there had been some very fine cherries in it.” 
However, what was done could not now be 
mended, and the only thing left for Winikin 
was to try to improve. 

For a long time after, whenever he went on 
a message, the villagers would say: “Don’t be 
three weeks on the road, as when you went to 
fetch cherries for your sick father.” 

He was still further ashamed when mid- 
summer came round again and his brother 
set off for the beautiful garden on his little 
nag, while Winikin had only a cup and ball, 
that gave him a rap on the head every time 
he played with it when he ought to have been 
doing something else! 

After receiving many raps, however, he, 
learned that he must not take out his toy ex- 
cept at the proper time. 

As long as their childhood lasted Finikin 
continued to visit the ^htle boys, but when 
he began to grow too big to play with them, 
they bade him affectionately farewell, and as 


172 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

a parting gift they gave him branches of their 
apple-tree and cherry-tree. When these were 
grafted on two trees at the farmhouse they 
produced the finest fruit ever eaten. The 
cherries were the first white-hearts and the ap- 
ples were ever since called golden pippins, on 
account of their origin. (Adapted.) 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 


Frances Browne 

Once upon a time, there stood far away in 
the west country a town called Stumping- 
hame. It contained seven windmills, a royal 
palace, a market place, and a prison, with 
every other convenience befitting the capital 
of a kingdom. It stood in the midst of a great 
plain, which for three leagues round its walls 
was covered with corn, flax, and orchards. 
Beyond that lay a great circle of pasture land, 
and it was bounded on all sides by a forest 
so thick and old that no man in Stumping- 
hame knew its extent; and the opinion of the 
learned was, that it reached to the end of the 
world. 

There were strong reasons for this opinion. 
First, that forest was known to be inhabited 
time out of mind by the fairies, and no hunter 
cared to go beyond its borders — so all the west 

173 


174 the garnet story BOOK 

country believed it to be solidly full of old 
trees from end to end. Secondly, the people 
of Stumpinghame were no travellers — man, 
woman, and child had feet so large and heavy 
that it was by no means convenient to carry 
them far. Great feet had been the fashion 
there from time immemorial, and the higher 
the family the larger were their feet. 

Stumpinghame had a king of its own, and 
his name was Stiffstep; his family was very 
ancient and large-footed. His subjects called 
him Lord of the World, and he made a speech 
to them every year concerning the grandeur 
of his mighty empire. His queen. Hammer- 
heel, was the greatest beauty in Stumping- 
hame. Her majesty’s shoe was not much less 
than a fishing-boat. Their six children prom- 
ised to be quite as handsome, and all went well 
with them till the birth of their seventh son. 

For a long time nobody about the palace 
could understand what was the matter — the 
ladies-in-waiting looked so astonished, and 
the king so vexed ; but at last it was whispered 
through the city that the queen’s seventh child 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 175 

had been born with such miserably small feet 
that they resembled nothing ever seen or heard 
of in Stumpinghame, except the feet of the 
fairies. 

All the relations of the king and queen as- 
sembled at the palace to mourn with them 
over the singular misfortune. The whole 
court and most of the citizens helped in this 
mourning; but when it had lasted seven days 
they all found out it was of no use. So the 
relations went to their homes, and the people 
took to their work, and to cheer up the queen’s 
spirits, the young prince was sent privately 
out to the pasture lands, to be nursed among 
the shepherds. 

The chief man there was called Fleecefold, 
and his wife’s name was Rough Ruddy. They 
lived in a snug cottage with their son Black- 
thorn and their daughter Brownberry, and 
were thought great people, because they kept 
the king’s sheep. Moreover, Fleecefold’s fam- 
ily were known to be ancient; and Rough 
Ruddy boasted that she had the largest feet 
in all the pastures. The shepherds held them 


176 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

in high respect, and it grew still higher when 
the news spread that the king’s seventh son 
had been sent to their cottage. 

The king and queen had given him four- 
teen names, beginning with Augustus — such 
being the fashion in the royal family; but the 
honest country people could not remember so 
many, so they called him Fairyfoot. At court 
it was not thought polite to speak of him at 
all. They did not keep his birthday, and he 
was never sent for at Christmas, because the 
queen and her ladies could not bear the sight. 
Once a year the undermost scullion was sent 
to see how he did, with a bundle of his next 
brother’s cast-off clothes; and, as the king grew 
old and cross, it was said he had thoughts of 
disowning him. 

So Fairyfoot grew in Fleecefold’s cottage. 
Perhaps the country air made him fair and 
rosy — for all agreed that he would have been 
a handsome boy but for his feet, with which 
nevertheless, he learned to walk, and in time 
to run and to jump, thereby amazing every- 
body, for such doings were not known among 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 177 

the children of Stumpinghame. The news of 
court, however, travelled to the shepherds, 
and Fairyfoot was despised among them. The 
old people thought him unlucky; the children 
refused to play with him. Fleecefold was 
ashamed to have him in his cottage, but he 
durst not disobey the king’s orders. More- 
over, Blackthorn wore most of the clothes 
brought by the scullion. At last. Rough Rud- 
dy found out that the sight of such horrid 
jumping would make her children vulgar; 
and, as soon as he was old enough she sent 
Fairyfoot every day to watcK some sickly sheep 
that grazed on a wild, weedy pasture, near the 
forest. 

Poor Fairyfoot was lying in the shadow of 
a mossy rock one warm summer’s noon, with 
the sheep feeding round, when a robin, pur- 
sued by a great hawk, flew into the old velvet 
cap which lay on the ground beside him. 
Fairyfoot covered it up, and the hawk, fright- 
ened by his shout, flew away. 

‘‘Now you may go, poor robin!” he said, 
opening the cap; but instead of the bird, out 


178 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

sprang a little man dressed in russet-brown, 
and looking as if he were a hundred years 
old. Fairyfoot could not speak for astonish- 
ment, but the little man said : 

“Thank you for your shelter, and be sure I 
will do as much for you. Call on me if you 
are ever in trouble, my name is Robin Good- 
fellow;” and darting off he was out of sight 
in an instant. 

For days the boy wondered who that little 
man could be, but he told nobody, for the 
little man’s feet were as small as his own, and 
it was clear he would be no favorite in Stump- 
inghame. Fairyfoot kept the story to himself, 
and at last midsummer came. That evening 
was a feast among the shepherds. There were 
bonfires on the hills, and fun in the villages. 
But Fairyfoot sat alone beside his sheepfold, 
for the children of the village had refused to 
let him dance with them about the bonfire, 
and he had never felt so lonely in all his life. 
But remembering the little man, he plucked 
up spirit, and cried: 

“Ho! Robin Goodfellow!” 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 179 

^^Here I am,” said a shrill voice at his el- 
bow; and there stood the little man himself. 

‘T am very lonely, and no one will play 
with me, because my feet are not large 
enough,” said Fairyfoot. 

“Come, then, and play with us,” said the 
little man. “We lead the merriest lives in 
the world, and care for nobody’s feet; but 
there are two things you must mind among 
us; first, do as you see the rest doing; and, sec- 
ondly, never speak of anything you may hear 
or see.” 

“I will do that, and anything more you 
like,” said Fairyfoot; and the little man, taking 
his hand, led him over the pasture into the 
forest, and along a mossy path among old 
trees wreathed with ivy, till they heard the 
sound of music, anT came upon a meadow 
where the moon shone as bright as day, and 
all the flowers of the year — snowdrops, vio- 
lets, primroses, and cowslips — bloomed to- 
gether in the thick grass. There was a crowd 
of little men and women, some clad in russet 
colour, but far more in green, dancing round 


i8o THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


a little well as clear as crystal. And under 
great rose-trees which grew here and there in 
the meadow, companies were sitting round low 
tables covered with cups of milk and dishes 
of honey. All the little people about the well 
cried: 

Welcome, welcome!” and every one said: 
^^Come and dance with me!” So Fairyfoot 
was as happy as a prince, and drank milk and 
ate honey till the moon was low in the sky, and 
then the little man took him by the hand, and 
never stopped nor stayed till he was at his 
own bed of straw in the cottage corner. 

Next morning Fairyfoot was not tired for 
all his dancing. Nobody in the cottage had 
missed him, and he went out with the sheep 
as usual; but every night all that summer, 
when the shepherds were safe in bed, the lit- 
tle man came and took him away to dance in 
the forest. 

The wonder was that he was never tired 
nor sleepy, as people are apt to be who dance 
all night; but before the summer was ended 
Fairyfoot found out the reason. One night, 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT i8i 


when the moon was full, and the last of the 
ripe corn rustling in the fields, Robin Good- 
fellow came for him as usual, and away they 
went to the flowery green. The fun there was 
high, but never in all his life did Fairyfoot 
find such hard work as to keep pace with the 
company. Their feet seemed to move like 
lightning. Fairyfoot did his best, for he never 
gave in easily; but at length, his breath and 
strength being spent, the boy was glad to steal 
away and sit down behind a mossy oak, where 
his eyes closed for very weariness. When he 
awoke the dance was nearly over, but two lit- 
tle ladies clad in green talked close behind* 
him. 

^What a beautiful boy!” said one of them. 
“He is worthy to be a king’s son. Only see 
what handsome feet he has!” 

“Yes,” said the other, with a laugh that 
sounded spiteful; “they are just like the feet 
Princess Maybloom had before she washed 
them in the Growing Well. Her father has 
sent far and wide throughout the whole coun- 
try searching for a doctor to make them small 


1 82 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

again, but nothing in this world can do it ex- 
cept the water on the Fair Fountain. And 
only the nightingales and I know where it is.” 

^‘One would not care to let the like be 
known,” said the first little lady. ‘^But you 
will surely send word to the sweet princess — 
she was so kind to our birds and butterflies, 
and danced so like one of ourselves!” 

^^Not I, indeed!” said the spiteful fairy. 
^‘Her old skinflint of a father cut down the 
cedar which I loved best in the whole forest, 
and made a chest of it to keep his money in; 
besides, I never liked the princess — everybody 
praised her so. But come, we shall be too 
late for the last dance.” 

When they were gone, Fairyfoot could sleep 
no more with astonishment. He did not won- 
der at the fairies admiring his feet, because 
their own were much the same; but it amazed 
him that Princess Maybloom’s father should 
be troubled at hers growing large. Moreover, 
he wished to see that same princess and her 
country. 

When Robin Goodfellow came to take him 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 183 

home as usual he durst not let him know that 
he had overheard anything; but never was 
the boy so unwilling to get up as on that morn- 
ing, and all day he was so weary that in the 
afternoon Fairyfoot fell asleep, with his head 
on a clump of rushes. But it so happened 
that towards evening the old shepherd. Fleece- 
fold, thought he would see how things went on 
in the pastures. The shepherd had a bad tem- 
per and a thick staff, and no sooner did he 
catch sight of Fairyfoot sleeping, and his flock 
straying away, than he shouted all the ill 
names he could remember, and woke up the 
boy who jumped up and ran away. The shep- 
herd ran after him as fast as his great feet 
would allow. Fairyfoot, seeing no other shel- 
ter from Fleecefold^s fury, fled into the forest, 
and never stopped nor stayed till he reached 
the banks of a little stream. 

Thinking it might lead him to the fairies’ 
dancing ground, he followed that stream for 
many an hour, but it wound away into the 
heart of the forest flowing through dells, fall- 
ing over mossy rocks, and at last leading Fairy- 


i 84 the garnet STORY BOOK 

foot, when he was tired and the night had 
fallen, to a grove of great rose-trees, with the 
moon shining on it as bright as day, and thou- 
sands of nightingales singing in the branches. 
In the midst of that grove was a clear spring, 
bordered with banks of lilies, and Fairyfoot 
sat down by it to rest himself and listen. The 
singing was so sweet he could have listened 
for ever, but as he sat the nightingales left 
off their songs, and began to talk together in 
the silence of the night. 

^What boy is that?” said one on a branch 
above him. ‘^He cannot have come from 
Stumpinghame with such small and handsome 
feet.” 

^‘No, I’ll warrant you,” said another, ‘‘he 
has come from the west country. How in the 
world did he find the way?” 

“How simple you are!” said a third night- 
ingale. “What had he to do but follow the 
ground-ivy, which grows over height and hol- 
low, bank and bush, from the lowest gate of 
the king’s kitchen-garden to the root of this 
rose-tree He looks a wise boy, and I hope he 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 185 

will keep the secret, or we shall have all the 
west country here, dabbling in our fountain, 
and leaving us no rest to either talk or sing.” 

Fairyfoot listened in great astonishment, 
but when the talk ceased and the songs began, 
he thought it might be as well for him to fol- 
low the ground-ivy, and see the Princess May- 
bloom, not to speak of getting rid of Rough 
Ruddy, the sickly sheep, and the crusty old 
shepherd. It was a long journey; but he went 
on, eating wild berries by day, sleeping in the 
hollows of old trees by night, and never losing 
sight of the ground-ivy, which led him to a 
great city, and to a low old-fashioned gate 
of the king’s kitchen-garden, which was 
thought too mean for the scullions, and had 
not been opened for seven years. 

He climbed over, and walked through the 
garden, till a white fawn came frisking by, 
and he heard a soft voice saying sorrowfully: 

“Come back, come back, my fawn ! I can- 
not run and play with you now, my feet have 
grown so heavy” ; and, looking round, he saw 
the loveliest young princess in the world. 


1 86 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

dressed in snow-white, and wearing a wreath 
of roses on her golden hair; but walking 
slowly, as the great people did in Stumping- 
hame, for her feet were as large as the best 
of them. 

After her came six young ladies, dressed in 
white and walking slowly, for they could not 
go before the princess; but Fairyfoot was 
amazed to see that their feet were as small as 
his own. At once he guessed that this must 
be the Princess Maybloom, and made her a 
bow, saying: 

^‘Royal princess, I have heard of your 
trouble because your feet have grown large; 
in my country that’s all the fashion. For 
seven years past I have been wondering to no 
purpose what would make mine grow. But 
I know of a certain fountain that will make 
yours smaller and finer than ever they were, 
if the king, your father, will give you leave 
to come with me. You may be accompanied 
by two of your maids that are the least given 
to talking, and the most prudent officer in all 
the king’s household; for it would grievously 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 187 

offend the fairies and the nightingales to make 
that fountain known.” 

When the princess heard this, she danced 
for joy in spite of her large feet, and she and 
her six maids brought Fairyfoot before the 
king and queen, where they sat in their palace 
hall, with all the courtiers paying their morn- 
ing compliments. At first the king would not 
believe that there could be any use in this of- 
fer, because so many great physicians had 
failed to give any relief. The courtiers 
laughed Fairyfoot to scorn, and he wished 
himself safe in the forest again; but the queen 
said: 

“I pray your majesty to notice what fine feet 
this boy has. There may be some truth in 
his story. For the sake of our only daughter, 
I will choose two maids who talk the least 
of all our train, and my chamberlain, who is 
the most discreet officer in our household. Let 
them go with the princess. Who knows but 
our sorrow may be lessened?” 

After some persuasion the king consented, 
though all his councillors advised the con- 


1 88 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


trary. So the two silent maids, the discreet 
chamberlain, and her fawn, which would not 
stay behind, were sent with the princess May- 
bloom, and they all set out after dinner. Fairy- 
foot had hard work guiding them along the 
track of the ground-ivy; but at last they 
reached the grove of rose-trees and the spring 
bordered with lilies. 

The chamberlain washed — and though his 
hair had been grey and his face wrinkled, the 
young courtiers envied his beauty for years 
after. The maids washed — and from that day 
they were esteemed the fairest in all the palace. 
Lastly, the princess washed also — it could 
make her no fairer, but the moment her feet 
touched the water they grew less, and when 
she had washed and dried them three times, 
they were as small and finely shaped as Fairy- 
foods own. There was great joy among them, 
but the boy said sorrowfully: 

‘^Oh! if there had been a well in the world 
to make my feet large, my father and niother 
would not have cast me off, nor sent me to 
live among the shepherds.’’ 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 189 

‘‘Cheer upF’ said the Princess Maybloom. 
“If you want large feet, there is a well in this 
forest that will do it Last summer time I 
came with my father and his foresters to see 
a great cedar cut down, of which he meant 
to make a money chest While they were 
busy with the cedar, I saw a bramble branch 
covered with berries. Some were ripe and 
some were green, but it was the longest bram- 
ble that ever grew. For the sake of the ber- 
ries, I went on and on to its root, which grew 
near a muddy-looking well, with banks of 
dark green moss, in the deepest part of the 
forest The day was warm and dry, and my 
feet were sore with the rough ground, so I 
took off my scarlet shoes, and washed my feet 
in the well; but as I washed they grew larger 
every minute, and nothing could ever make 
them less again. I have seen the bramble 
this day; it is not far off, and as you have 
shown me the Fair Fountain, I will show you 
the Growing Well.” 

Up rose Fairyfoot and Princess Maybloom, 
and went together till they found the bramble, 


190 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

and came to where its root grew, near the 
muddy-looking well, with banks of dark moss 
in the deepest dell of the forest. Fairyfoot 
sat down to wash, but at that minute he heard 
a sound of music, and knew it was the fairies 
going to their dancing ground. 

‘‘If my feet grow large,” said the boy to 
himself, “how shall I dance with them?” So, 
rising quickly, he took the Princess Maybloom 
by the hand. The fawn followed them; the 
maids and the chamberlain followed it, and 
all followed the music through the forest. At 
last they came to the flowery green. Robin 
Goodfellow welcomed the company for Fairy- 
foot’s sake, and they danced from sunset till the 
grey morning, and nobody was tired; but be- 
fore the lark sang, Robin Goodfellow took 
them all safe home, as he used to take Fairy- 
foot. 

There was great joy that day in the palace 
because Princess Maybloom’s feet were made 
small again. The king gave Fairyfoot all 
manner of fine clothes and rich jewels; and 
when they heard his wonderful story, he and 


THE STORY OF FAIRYFOOT 191 

the queen asked him to live with them and be 
their son. In process of time Fairyfoot and 
Princess Maybloom were married, and still 
live happily. When they go to visit at Stump- 
inghame, they always wash their feet in the 
Growing Well, lest the royal family might 
think them a disgrace, but when they come 
back, they make haste to the Fair Fountain; 
and the fairies and the nightingales are great 
friends to them, as well as the maids and the 
chamberlain, because they have told nobody 
about it, and there is peace and quiet yet in 
the grove of rose-trees. (Adapted.)^ 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 
Hans Christian Andersen 
FIRST STORY 

Which Treats of a Mirror and of the 
Splinters 

Now^ then, let us begin. When we are at the 
end of the story, we shall know more than we 
know now; but to begin: 

Once upon a time there was a wicked Sprite, 
indeed, he was the most mischievous of all 
sprites. One day he was in a very good hu- 
mour, for he had made a mirror with the 
power of causing all that was good and beau- 
tiful, when it was reflected therein, to look 
poor and mean; but that which was good for 
nothing and looked ugly, was shown magnified 
and increased in ugliness. In this mirror the 

192 


193 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 

most beautiful landscapes looked like boiled 
spinach, and the best persons were turned into 
frights, or appeared to stand on their heads; 
their faces were so distorted that they were not 
to be recognized ; and if any one had a mole, 
you might be sure that it would be magnified 
and spread over both nose and mouth. 

‘^That’s glorious fun!” said the Sprite. 

If a good thought passed through a man’s 
mind, then a grin was seen in the mirror, and 
the Sprite laughed heartily at his clever dis- 
covery. 

All the little sprites who went to his school 
— for he kept a sprite-school — told one another 
that a miracle had happened; and that now 
only, as they thought, it would be possible to 
see how the world really looked. They ran 
about with the mirror; and at last there was 
not a land or a person who was not represented 
distorted in the mirror. So then they thought 
they would fly up to the sky, and have a joke 
there. The higher they flew with the mirror, 
the more terribly it grinned ; they could hardly 
hold it fast. Higher and higher still they flew. 


194 the garnet story BOOK 

nearer and nearer to the stars, when suddenly, 
the mirror shook so terribly with grinning that 
it flew out of their hands and fell to the earth, 
where it was dashed in a hundred million and 
more pieces. And now it worked much more 
evil than before; for some of these pieces were 
hardly so large as a grain of sand, and they 
flew about in a wide world, and when they got 
into people’s eyes, there they stayed ; and then 
people saw everything perverted, or only had 
an eye for that which was evil. This hap- 
pened because the very smallest bit had the 
same power which the whole mirror had pos- 
sessed. Some persons even got a splinter in 
their hearts, and then it made one shudder, for 
their hearts became like lumps of ice. Some 
of the broken pieces were so large that they 
were used for window-panes, through which 
one could not see one’s friends. Other pieces 
were put in spectacles; and that was a sad af- 
fair when people put on their glasses to see 
well and rightly. Then the wicked Sprite 
laughed till he almost choked, for all this 
tickled his fancy. The fine splinters still flew 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 195 

about in the air: and now we shall hear what 
happened next. 


SECOND STORY 
A Little Boy and a Little Girl 

In a large town, where there are so many 
houses, and so many people, that there is no 
room left for everybody to have a little gar- 
den, and where, on this account, most persons 
are obliged to content themselves with flowers 
in pots, there lived two little children, who had 
a garden somewhat larger than a flower-pot 
They were not brother and sister; but they 
cared for each other as much as if they were. 
Their parents lived exactly opposite. They 
inhabited two garrets; and where the roof of 
the one house joined that of the other, and the 
gutter ran along the extreme end of it, there 
was to each house a small window : one needed 
only to step over the gutter to get from one 
window to the other. 


196 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

The children’s parents had large wooden 
boxes there, in which vegetables for the 
kitchen were planted, and little rosetrees, be- 
sides ; there was a rose in each box, and they 
grew splendidly. They now thought of plac- 
ing the boxes across the gutter, so that they 
nearly reached from one window to the other, 
and looked just like two walls of flowers. The 
tendrils of the peas hung down over the boxes, 
and the rosetrees shot up long branches, twined 
around the windows, and then bent toward 
each other: it was almost like a triumphal 
arch of foliage and flowers. The boxes were 
very high, and the children knew that they 
must not creep over them; so they often ob- 
tained permission to get out of the windows 
to each other, and. to sit on their little stools 
among the roses, where they could play de- 
lightfully. In winter there was an end of this 
pleasure. The windows were often frozen 
over; but then they heated copper farthings 
on the stove, and laid the hot farthings on the 
window-pane, and then they had a capital 
peep-hole, quite nicely rounded; and out of 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 197 

each peeped a gentle, friendly eye — it was the 
little boy and the little girl who were looking 
out. His name was Kay, hers was Gerda. In 
summer, with one jump, they could get to each 
other; but in winter they were obliged first to 
go down the long stairs, and then up the long 
stairs again: and out-of-doors there was quite 
a snow-storm. 

“It is the white bees that are swarming,” 
said Kay’s old grandmother. 

“Do the white bees choose a queen?” asked 
the little boy; for he knew that the honey-bees 
always have one. 

“Yes,” said the grandmother, “she flies 
where the swarm hangs in the thickest clust- 
ers. She is the largest of all; and she can 
never remain quietly on the earth, but goes up 
again into the black clouds. Many a winter’s 
night she flies through the streets of the town, 
and peeps in at the windows; and they then 
freeze in so wondrous a manner that they look 
like flowers.” 

“Yes, I have seen it,” said both the children; 
and so they knew that it was true. 


198 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

^^Can the Snow-Queen come in?” said the 
little girl. 

“Only let her come in!” said the little boy; 
“then I’d put her on the stove, and she’d melt.” 

And then his grandmother patted his head, 
and told him other stories. 

In the evening, when little Kay was at home, 
and half undressed, he climbed upon the 
chair by the window, and peeped out of the 
little hole. A few snow-flakes were falling, 
and one, the largest of all, remained lying on 
the edge of a flower-pot. The flake of snow 
grew larger and larger; and, at last, it was like 
a young lady, dressed in the finest white gauze, 
made of a million little flakes, like stars. She 
was so beautiful and delicate, but she was of 
ice, of dazzling, sparkling ice; yet she lived; 
her eyes gazed fixedly, like two stars; but there 
was neither quiet nor repose in them. She 
nodded toward the window, and beckoned 
with her hand. The little boy was frightened, 
and jumped down from the chair; it seemed 
to him as if, at the same moment, a large bird 
flew past the window. 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 199 

The next day it was a sharp frost; and then 
the spring came; the sun shone, the green 
leaves appeared, the swallows built their 
nests, the windows were opened, and the little 
children again sat in their pretty garden, high 
up on the leads at the top of the house. 

That summer the roses flowered in won- 
drous beauty. The little girl had learned a 
hymn, in which there was something about 
roses; and then she thought of her own flow- 
ers; and she sang the verse to the little boy, 
who then sang it with her: 

‘The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet. 
The Christ-child is there the children to 
greet.” 

And the children held each other by the hand, 
kissed the roses, and looked up at the clear 
sunshine. What lovely summer days those 
were! How delightful to be out in the air, 
near the fresh rosebushes, that seemed as if 
they would never finish blossoming! 

Kay and Gerda looked at the picture-book 


200 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

full of beasts and of birds; and it was then — 
the clock in the church-tower was just striking 
five — that Kay said, ^^Oh, I feel such a sharp 
pain in my heart; and now something has 
flown into my eye!” 

The little girl put her arms round his neck. 
He winked his eyes: now there was nothing 
to be seen. 

“I think it is out now,” said he; but it was 
not. It was just one of those pieces of glass 
from the magic mirror that had flown into his 
eye. Another piece had pierced his heart, 
where it soon became like ice. It did not hurt 
any longer, but there it was. 

‘What are you crying for?” asked he. “You 
look so ugly! There’s nothing the matter 
with me. Ah!” said he at once, “that rose is 
cankered! and, look, this one is quite crooked! 
after all, these roses are very ugly! they are 
just like the box they are planted in!” And 
then he gave the box a good kick with his foot, 
and pulled both the roses up. 

“What are you doing?” cried the little girl; 
and as he perceived her fright, he pulled up 


201 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 

another rose, got in at the window, and hast- 
ened away from dear little Gerda. 

Afterwards, when she brought her picture- 
book, he asked, ^What horrid beasts have you 
there And if his grandmother told him sto- 
ries, he always interrupted her; besides, if he 
could manage it, he would get behind her, put 
on her spectacles, and imitate her way of 
speaking: he copied all her ways, and then 
everybody laughed at him. He was soon able 
to imitate the gait and manner of every one in 
the street. Everything that was peculiar and 
displeasing in them, — that Kay knew how to 
imitate; and at such times all the people said, 
“The boy is certainly very clever!” But it 
was the glass he had in his eye; the glass 
that was sticking in his heart, which made him 
tease even little Gerda, whose whole soul was 
devoted to him. 

His games now were quite different to what 
they had formerly been, they were so very 
knowing. One winter’s day, when the flakes 
of snow were flying about, he spread the skirts 
of his blue coat, and caught the snow as it fell. 


202 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

“Look through this glass, Gerda,” said he. 
And every flake seemed larger, and appeared 
like a magnificent flower, or a beautiful star: 
it was splendid to look at! 

“Look, how clever!” said Kay. “That’s 
much more interesting than real flowers ! They 
are as exact as possible; there is not a fault in 
them, if only they did not melt!” 

It was not long after this that Kay came one 
day with large gloves on, and his little sledge 
at his back, and called right into Gerda’s ears, 
“I have permission to go out into the square, 
where the others are playing”; and off he was 
in a moment. 

There, in the market-place, some of the 
boldest of the boys used to tie their sledges to 
the carts as they passed by. In this way they 
were pulled along, and got a good ride. It was 
capital sport! Just as they were in the very 
height of their amusement, a large sledge 
passed by: it was painted white, and there was 
some one in it wrapped up in a rough white 
mantle of fur, with a rough white fur cap on 
his head. The sledge drove round the square 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 203 

twice, and Kay tied on his as quickly as he 
could, and off he drove with it. On they went 
quicker and quicker into the next street; and 
the person who drove turned round to Kay, and 
nodded to him in a friendly manner, just as if 
they knew each other. Every time he was go- 
ing to untie his sledge the person nodded to 
him, and then Kay sat quiet; and so on they 
went till they came outside the gates of the 
town. Then the snow began to fall so thickly 
that the little boy could not see an arm’s length 
before him, but still on he went; then sud- 
denly, he let go the string he held in his hand 
in order to get loose from the sledge, but it 
was of no use; still the little vehicle rushed on 
with the quickness of the wind. He then cried 
as loud as he could, but no one heard him; the 
snow drifted and the sledge flew on, and some- 
times it gave a jerk as though they were driv- 
ing over hedges and ditches. He was quite 
frightened, and he tried to repeat the Lord’s 
Prayer; but in spite of hi'S efforts he was able 
only to remember the multiplication table. 

The snow-flakes grew larger and larger, till 


204 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

at last they looked just like great white fowls. 
Suddenly they flew on one side; the large 
sledge stopped, and the person who drove rose 
up. It was a lady. Her cloak and cap were of 
snow. She was tall, of slender figure, and of 
a dazzling whiteness . It was the Snow-Queen. 

“We have travelled fast,’’ said she; “but it 
is terribly cold. Come under my bearskin.” 
And she put him in the sledge beside her, 
wrapped the fur round him, and he felt as 
though he were sinking in a snow-wreath. 

“Are you still cold?” asked she; and then 
she kissed his forehead. Ah! it was colder 
than ice; it penetrated to his very heart, which 
was already almost a frozen lump; it seemed 
to him as if he were about to die, — but a mo- 
ment more and it was quite congenial to him, 
and he did not notice the cold that was 
around him. 

“My sledge I Do not forget my sledge I” It 
was the first thing he thought of. It was there, 
tied to one of the white chickens, who flew 
along with it on his back behind the large 
sledge. The Snow-Queen kissed Kay once 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 205 

more, and then he forgot little Gerda, grand- 
mother, and all whom he had left at his home. 

“Now you shall have no more kisses,’’ said 
she, “or else I should kiss you to death!” 

Kay looked at her. She was very beautiful ; 
a more clever or a more lovely countenance 
he could not fancy to himself; and she no 
longer appeared of ice as before, when she sat 
outside the window, and beckoned to him; in 
his eyes she was perfect; he did not fear her 
at all, and told her that he could calculate in 
his head, and with fractions even ; that he knew 
the number of square miles there were in the 
different countries, and how many inhabitants 
they contained ; and she smiled while he spoke. 
It then seemed to him as if what he knew was 
not enough, and he looked upwards in the 
large, huge, empty space about him, and on 
she flew with him; flew high over the black 
clouds, while the storm moaned and whistled 
as though it were singing some old tune. On 
they flew over woods and lakes, over seas and 
many lands; and beneath them the chilling 
storm rushed fast, the wolves howled, the snow 


2o6 the garnet story BOOK 


crackled; above them flew large screaming 
crows, but higher up appeared the moon, quite 
large and bright; and it was on it that Kay 
gazed during the long, long winter’s night, 
while by day he slept at the feet of the Snow- 
Queen. 


THIRD STORY 

Of the Flower-garden at the Old W oman^s 
Who Understood Witchcraft 

But what became of little Gerda when Kay 
did not return? Where could he be? No- 
body knew. The boys said that they had 
seen him tie his sledge to another large and 
splendid one, which drove down the street and 
out of the town. But they did not know where 
he was. Many sad tears were shed, and little 
Gerda wept long and bitterly; at last she said 
he must be dead; that he had been drowned 
in the river which flowed close to the town. 
Oh, those were very long and dismal winter 
evenings ! 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 207 

At last spring came with its warm sun- 
shine. 

“Kay is dead and gone!’’ said little Gerda. 

“That I don’t believe,” said the Sunshine. 

“Kay is dead and gone!” said she to the 
Swallows. 

“That we don’t believe,” said they; and at 
last little Gerda did not think so any longer 
either. 

“I’ll put on my red shoes,” said she one 
morning; “Kay has never seen them, and then 
I’ll go down to the river and ask there.” 

It was quite early : she kissed her old grand- 
mother, who was still asleep, put on her red 
shoes, and went alone to the river. 

“Is it true that you have taken my little 
playfellow? I will make you a present of my 
red shoes if you will give him back to me.” 

And, as it seemed to her, the blue waves 
nodded in a strange manner; then she took off 
her red shoes, the most precious things she 
possessed, and threw them both into the river. 
But they fell close to the bank, and the little 
waves bore them immediately to land; it was 


^2o8 the garnet story BOOK 


as if the stream would not take what was dear- 
est to her; for in reality it had not taken little 
Kay: but Gerda thought that she had not 
thrown the shoes out far enough, so she clam- 
bered into a boat which lay among the rushes, 
went to the farthest end, and threw out the 
shoes. But the boat was not fastened, and the 
motion which she occasioned made it drift 
from the shore. She observed this, and has- 
tened to get back; but before she could do so, 
the boat was more than a yard from the land, 
and was gliding quickly onward. 

Little Gerda was very much frightened, and 
began to cry; but no one heard her except the 
Sparrows, and they could not carry her to 
land; but they flew along the bank, and sang 
as if to comfort her, “Here we are! here we 
are!” The boat drifted with the stream, little 
Gerda sat quite still without shoes, for they 
were swimming behind the boat, but could not 
reach it, because it went much faster than 
they. 

The banks on both sides were beautiful. 
There were lovely flowers, venerable trees, and 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 209 

slopes with sheep and cows, but there was not 
a human being to be seen anywhere. 

“Perhaps the river will carry me to little 
Kay,” said she; and then she grew less sad. 
She rose, and looked for many hours at the 
beautiful green banks. Presently, she sailed 
by a large cherry-orchard, where there was a 
little cottage with curious red and blue win- 
dows; it was thatched, and before it two 
wooden soldiers stood sentry, and presented 
arms when any one went past. 

Gerda called to them, for she thought they 
were alive; but they, of course, did not answer. 
She came close to them, for the stream drifted 
the boat quite near the land. 

Gerda called still louder and then an old 
woman leaning upon a crooked stick came out 
of the cottage. She had a large, broad- 
brimmed hat on, painted with the most splen- 
did flowers. 

“Poor little child!” said the old woman, 
“how did you get upon the large, rapid river, 
to be driven about so in the wide world!” 
And then the old woman went into the water, 


210 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

caught hold of the boat with her crooked stick, 
drew it to the bank, and lifted little Gerda 
out. And Gerda was glad to be on dry land 
again, but she was rather afraid of the strange 
old woman. 

^‘But come and tell me who you are, and 
how you came here,” said she. 

And Gerda told her all; and the old woman 
shook her head and said, “A-hem! a-hem!” 
and when Gerda had told her everything, and 
asked her if she had not seen little Kay, the 
woman answered that he had not passed there, 
but he no doubt would come; and she told 
her not to be cast down, but to taste her cher- 
ries, and look at her flowers, which were finer 
than any in a picture-book, for each could tell 
a whole story. She then took Gerda by the 
hand, led her into the little cottage, and locked 
the door. 

The windows were very high up ; the glass 
was red, blue, and green, and the sunlight 
shone through quite wondrously in all sorts of 
colours. On the table stood the most exquisite 
cherries, and Gerda ate as many as she chose, 


2II 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 

for she had permission to do so. While she 
was eating, the old woman combed her hair 
with a golden comb, and her hair curled and 
shone with a lovely golden colour around that 
sweet little face, which was so round and so 
like a rose. 

have often longed for such a dear little 
girl,’’ said the old woman. ^^Now you shall 
see how well we agree together;” and while 
she combed little Gerda’s hair, the child for- 
got her foster-brother Kay more and more, 
for the old woman understood magic; but she 
was no evil being, she only practised witch- 
craft a little for her own amusement, and she 
wished very much to keep little Gerda. She, 
therefore, went out into the garden, stretched 
out her crooked stick towards the rose bushes, 
which, beautifully as they were growing, all 
sank into the earth, and no one could tell 
where they had stood. The old woman 
feared that if Gerda should see the roses, she 
would then think of her own, would remem- 
ber little Kay, and run away from her. 

She now led Gerda into the flower-garden. 


212 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Oh, what odour and what loveliness was there ! 
Every flower that one could think of, and of 
every season, stood there in fullest bloom; no 
picture-book could be gayer or more beauti- 
ful. Gerda jumped for joy, and played till 
the sun set behind the tall cherry-tree ; she then 
had a pretty bed, with a red silken coverlet 
filled with blue violets. She fell asleep, and 
had as pleasant dreams as ever a queen on her 
wedding-day. 

The next morning she went to play with the 
flowers in the warm sunshine, and thus passed 
away a day. Gerda knew every flower; and, 
numerous as they were, it still seemed to 
Gerda that one was wanting, though she did 
not know which. One day, while she was 
looking at the old woman’s hat which was 
painted with flowers, the most beautiful of 
them all seemed to her to be a rose. The old 
woman had forgotten to take it from her hat 
when she made the others vanish in the earth. 
But so it is when one’s thoughts are not col- 
lected. ^What!” said Gerda, “are there no 
roses here?” and she ran about amongst the 


213 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 

flower-beds, and looked, and looked, but there 
was not one to be found. She then sat down 
and wept. Her hot tears fell just where a rose 
bush had sunk; and where her warm tears 
watered the ground, the rosebush shot up sud- 
denly as fresh and blooming as when it had 
been swallowed up. Gerda kissed the roses, 
thought of her own dear roses at home, and 
with them of little Kay. 

^^Oh, how long I have stayed!” said the lit- 
tle girl. ‘T intended to look for Kay! Don’t 
you know where he is?” asked she of the roses. 
‘^Do you think he is dead and gone?” 

^^Dead he certainly is not,” said the roses. 
‘We have been in the earth where all the dead 
are, but Kay is not there.” 

“Many thanks!” said little Gerda; and she 
went to the other flowers, looked into their 
cups, and asked, “Don’t you know where little 
Kay is?” But every flower stood in the 
sunshine, and dreamed its own fairy-tale or 
its own story; and they all told her very 
many things; but not one knew anything of 
Kay. 


214 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

Then Gerda questioned the little snowdrop. 

“Between the trees a long board is hang- 
ing — it is a swing. Two little girls are sitting 
in it, and are swinging themselves backward 
and forward: their frocks are as white as 
snow, and long green silk ribbons flutter from 
their bonnets. Their brother, who is older 
than they are, stands up in the swing; he twines 
his arms round the cords to hold himself fast, 
for in one hand he has a little cup, and in the 
other a clay pipe. He is blowing soap-bubbles. 
The swing moves. The little black dog, as 
light as a soap-bubble, jumps up on his hind 
legs to try to get into the swing. It moves, the 
dog falls down, barks, and is angry. They 
tease him; the bubble bursts! A swing — a 
bursting bubble — such is my song!” 

“What you relate may be very pretty, but 
you tell it so sorrowfully, and you donH even 
mention little Kay.” 

Then Gerda went to the buttercups, that 
looked forth from among the shining green 
leaves. 

“You are a little bright sun!” said Gerda. 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 215 

‘Tell me if you know where I can find my 
playfellow.” 

And the buttercups shone brightly, and 
looked again at Gerda. What song could 
they sing? It was one that said nothing about 
Kay either. 

“In a small court the bright sun was shining 
in the first days of spring. The beams glided 
down the white walls of a neighbour’s house, 
and close by the fresh yellow flowers were 
growing, shining like gold in the warm sun- 
rays. An old grandmother was sitting in the 
air, with her granddaughter, the poor and 
lovely servant just come for a short visit. She 
knows her grandmother. There was gold, 
pure, virgin gold in that blessed kiss. There, 
that is our little story,” said the butter- 
cups. 

“My poor old grandmother!” sighed Gerda. 
“Yes, she is longing for me, no doubt; she is 
sorrowing for me, as she did for little Kay. 
But I will soon come home, and then I will' 
bring Kay with me. It is of no use asking the 
flowers ; they know only their own old rhymes. 


2i6 the garnet story BOOK 


and can tell me* nothing/’ And then off she 
ran to the further end of the garden. 

The gate was locked, but she shook the 
rusted bolt till it was loosened, and the gate 
opened; and little Gerda ran off barefooted 
into the wide world. She looked round her 
thrice, but no one followed her. At last she 
could run no longer; she sat down on a large 
stone, and when she looked about her, she saw 
that the summer had passed; it was late in the 
autumn, but that one could not remark in the 
beautiful garden, where there was always sun- 
shine, and where there were flowers the whole 
year round. 

^‘Dear me, how long I have stayed!” said 
Gerda. ^^Autumn is come. I must not rest 
any longer.” And she got up to continue her 
journey. 

Oh, how tender and weary her little feet 
were! All around it looked so cold and raw; 
the long willow-leaves were quite yellow, and 
the fog dripped from them like water; one 
leaf fell after the other; the sloes only stood 
full of fruit which set one’s teeth on edge. Oh, 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 217 

how dark and comfortless it was in the dreary 
world! 


FOURTH STORY 
The Prince and Princess 

Gerda was obliged to rest herself again, 
when, exactly opposite to her, a large raven 
came hopping over the white snow. He had 
long been looking at Gerda and shaking his 
head; and now he said, “Caw! caw! Good 
day! good day!’’ He could not say it better; 
but he felt a sympathy for the little girl, and 
asked her where she was going all alone. The 
world “alone” Gerda understood quite well, 
and felt how much was expressed by it; so she 
told the Raven her whole history, and asked 
if he had not seen Kay. 

The Raven nodded very gravely, and said, 
“It may be — it may be!” 

“What! do you really think so?” cried the 
little girl; and she nearly squeezed the Raven 
to death, so much did she kiss him. 


2i8 the garnet story BOOK 

^^Gently, gently,” said the Raven. ‘T think 
I know; I think that it may be little Kay. But 
now he has forgotten you for the Princess.” 

“Does he live with a princess?” asked 
Gerda. 

“Yes, — listen,” said the Raven; “but it will 
be difficult for me to speak your language. If 
you understand the Raven language, I can tell 
you better.” 

“No, I have not learnt it,” said Gerda; “but 
my grandmother understands it. I wish I had 
learnt it.” 

“No matter,” said the Raven; “I will tell 
you as well as I can; however, it will be bad 
enough.” And then he told all he knew. 

“In the kingdom where we now are there 
lives a princess who is extraordinarily clever; 
for she has read all the newspapers in the 
whole world, and has forgotten them again, — 
so clever is she. She was lately, it is said, sit- 
ting on her throne, — ^which is not so very 
amusing, after all, — ^when she began humming 
an old tune, and it was just ‘Oh, why should 
I not be married?’ ‘That song is not without 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 219 

its meaning,” said she, and then she was de- 
termined to marry; but she would have a hus- 
band who knew how to give an answer when 
he was spoken to, — not one who looked only as 
if he were a great personage, for that is so 
tiresome. She then had all the ladies of the 
court drummed together; and when they heard 
her intention, all were well pleased, and said. 
We are quite glad to hear it; it is the very 
thing we were thinking of.’ You may believe 
every word I say,” said the Raven, “for I have 
a tame sweetheart that hops about in the palace 
quite free, and it was she who told me all 
this. 

“The newspapers appeared forthwith with 
a border of hearts and the initials of the Prin- 
cess; and therein you might read that every 
good-looking young man was at liberty to 
come to the palace and speak to the Princess; 
and he who spoke in such wise as showed he 
felt himself at home there, that one the Prin- 
cess would choose for her husband. 

“Yes — yes,” said the Raven, “you may be- 
lieve it; it is as true as I am sitting here. Peo- 


220 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

pie came in crowds; there was a crush and a 
hurry, but no one was successful either on the 
first or second day. They could all talk well 
enough when they were out in the street; but 
as soon as they came inside the palace-gates, 
and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and 
the lackeys in gold, on the staircase, and the 
large, illuminated saloons, then they were 
abashed; and when they stood before the 
throne on which the Princess was sitting, all 
they could do was to repeat the last word they 
had uttered, and to hear it again did not inter- 
est her very much. It was just as if the peo- 
ple within were under a charm, and had fallen 
into a trance till they came out again into the 
street; for then, — yes, then they could chat- 
ter enough. There was a whole row of them 
standing from the town-gates to the palace. I 
was there myself to look,” said the Raven. 
^They grew hungry and thirsty: but from the 
palace they got nothing whatever, not even a 
glass of water. Some of the cleverest, it is 
true, had taken bread and butter with them; 
but none shared it with his neighbour, for each 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 221 

thought, Tet him look hungry, and then the 
Princess won’t have him.’ ” 

^‘But Kay — little Kay,” said Gerda, “when 
did he come? Was he among the number?” 

“Patience, patience; we are just come to 
him. It was on the third day, when a little 
personage, without horse or equipage, came 
marching right boldly up to the palace; his 
eyes shone like yours, he had beautiful long 
hair, but his clothes were very shabby.” 

“That was Kay,” cried Gerda, with a voice 
of delight. “Oh, now I’ve found him!” and 
she clapped her hands for joy. 

“He had a little knapsack at his back,” said 
the Raven. 

“No, that was certainly his sledge,” said 
Gerda; “for when he went away he took his 
sledge with him.” 

“That may be,” said the Raven; “I did not 
examine him so minutely: but I know from 
my tame sweetheart that when he came into 
the court-yard of the palace, and saw the body- 
guard in silver, the lackeys on the staircase, he 
was not the least abashed; he nodded, and said 


222 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

to them, ^It must be very tiresome to stand on 
the stairs; for my part, I shall go in.’ All the 
rooms were ablaze with light; privy-council- 
ors and excellencies were walking about bare- 
foot, and bearing gold vases; it was enough to 
make anyone feel uncomfortable. His boots 
creaked, too, so loudly; but still he was not at 
all afraid.” 

^‘That’s Kay, for certain,” said Gerda. “I 
know he had on new boots ; I have heard them 
creaking in grandmamma’s room.” 

^‘Yes, they creaked,” said the Raven. ^‘And 
on he went boldly up to the Princess, who was 
sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning-wheel. 
All the ladies of the court, with their attend- 
ants and attendants’ attendants, and all the 
cavaliers, with their gentlemen and gentle- 
men’s gentlemen, stood round; and the nearer 
they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. 
It was hardly possible to look at the gentle- 
men’s gentleman, so very haughtily did he 
stand in the doorway.” 

“It must have been terrible,” said little 
Gerda, “And did Kay get the Princess?” 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 223 

“Were I not a Raven, I should have taken 
the Princess myself, although I am promised. 
It is said he spoke as well as I speak when I 
talk Raven language; this I learned from my 
tame sweetheart. He was bold and nicely be- 
haved; he had not come to woo the Princess, 
but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased 
him, and he pleased her.’’ 

“Yes, yes; for certain that was Kay,” said 
Gerda. “He was so clever; he could reckon 
fractions in his head. Oh, won’t you take me 
to the palace?” 

“That is very easily said,” answered the 
Raven. “But how are we to manage it? I’ll 
speak to my tame sweetheart about it; she 
must advise us; for so much I must tell you, 
such a little girl as you are will never get per- 
mission to enter.” 

“Oh, yes, I shall,” said Gerda; “when Kay 
hears that I am here, he will come out directly 
to fetch me.” 

“Wait for me here on these steps,” said the 
Raven. He moved his head backward and 
forward, and flew away. 


224 the garnet story book 

The evening was closing in when the Raven 
returned. 

‘‘Caw! caw!” said he. “She sends you her 
compliments; and here is a roll for you. She 
took it out of the kitchen, where there is bread 
enough. You are hungry, no doubt. It is not 
possible for you to enter the palace, for you 
are barefoot; the guards in silver and the lack- 
eys in gold would not allow it; but do not cry, 
you shall come in still. My sweetheart knows 
a little back stair that leads to the bedroom, 
and she knows where she can find the key.” 

And they went into the garden by the large 
avenue, where one leaf after another was fall- 
ing; and when the lights in the palace had 
all gradually disappeared, the Raven led lit- 
tle Gerda to the back door, which stood half 
open. Oh, how Gerda’s heart beat with long- 
ing! It was just as if she had been about to 
do something wrong; and yet she only wanted 
to know if little Kay was there. Yes, he must 
be there. She called to mind his intelligent 
eyes and his long hair so vividly, she could 
quite see him as he used to laugh when they 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 225 

were sitting under the roses at home. *^He 
will, no doubt, be glad to see you, — to hear 
what a long way you have come for his sake; 
to know how unhappy all at home were when 
he did not come back.” 

Her heart thrilled with fear and joy. 

They were now on the stairs. A single lamp 
was burning there; and on the floor stood the 
tame Raven, turning her head on every side 
and looking at Gerda, who bowed as her 
grandmother had taught her to do. 

‘^My intended has told me so much good of 
you, my dear young lady,” said the tame 
Raven. “Your tale is very affecting. If you 
will take the lamp, I will go before. We will 
go straight on, for we shall meet no one.” 

“I think there is somebody just behind us,” 
said Gerda; and something rushed past: it was 
like shadowy figures on the wall; horses with 
flowing manes and thin legs, huntsmen, ladies 
and gentlemen on horseback. 

“They are only dreams,” said the Raven. 
“They come to fetch the thoughts of the high 
personages to the chase : ’tis well, for now you 


226 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


can look at them in their beds quite safely. 

They now entered the first room, which was 
of rose-coloured satin, embroidered with flow- 
ers. Here the dreams were rushing past, but 
they hastened by so quickly that Gerda could 
not see the high personages. One hall was 
more magnificent than the other; and at last 
they came to a bedroom. The ceiling of the 
room was like a large palm-tree, with leaves 
of costly glass; and in the middle of the floor 
two beds shaped like lilies hung from thick, 
golden stems. One was white, and in this lay 
the Princess: the other was red, and it was 
there that Gerda was to look for little Kay. 
She bent back one of the red leaves, and saw 
a brown neck — Oh, that was Kay! She called 
him quite loud by name, held the lamp toward 
him, he awoke, turned his head, and — it was 
not little Kay! 

The Prince was only like him about the 
neck; but he was young and handsome. And 
out of the white lily leaves the Princess 
peeped, too, and asked what was the matter. 
Then little Gerda cried and told her her whole 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 227 

history, and all that the Ravens had done for 
her. 

‘Toor little thing!” said the Prince and the 
Princess. They praised the Ravens very 
much, and told them they were not at all angry 
with them, but they were not to do so again. 
However, they should have a reward. 

“Will you fly about here at liberty,” asked 
the Princess; “or would you like to have a 
fixed appointment as court ravens, with all the 
broken bits from the kitchen?” 

And both the Ravens nodded, and begged 
for a fixed appointment; for they thought of 
their old age, and said, “It was a good thing to 
have a provision for their old days.” 

And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep 
in his bed, and more than this he could not do. 
She folded her little hands, and thought, “How 
kind all are to me, people and animals as 
well,” and she then fell asleep and slept 
soundly. All the dreams flew in again, and 
they now looked like the angels; they drew a 
little sledge, in which little Kay sat and 
nodded his head; but the whole was only a 


228 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

dream, and therefore it all vanished as soon as 
she awoke. 

The next day she was dressed from head to 
foot in silk and velvet. They offered to let her 
stay at the palace, and lead a happy life; but 
she begged to have a little carriage with a 
horse in front, and for a small pair of shoes: 
then, she said, she would again go forth in the 
wide world and look for Kay. 

Shoes and a muff were given her; she was 
dressed very nicely, too; and when she was 
about to set off, a new carriage stopped before 
the door. It was of pure gold, and the arms of 
the Prince and Princess shone like a star upon 
it; the coachman, the footman, and the out- 
riders, for outriders were there, too, all wore 
golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess 
assisted her into the carriage themselves, and 
wished her all success. The Raven of the 
woods, who was now married, accompanied 
her for the first three miles. He sat beside 
Gerda, for he could not bear riding back- 
ward. The other Raven stood in the doorway; 
and flapped her wings; she could not accom- 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 229 

pany Gerda, because she suffered from head- 
ache since she had a fixed appointment and ate 
so much. The carriage was lined inside with 
sugar-plums, and in the seats were fruits and 
gingerbread. 

‘Tarewell! farewell!” cried Prince and 
Princess; and Gerda wept, and the Raven 
wept. Thus passed the first three miles; and 
then the Raven bade her farewell, and this 
was the most painful separation of all. He 
perched upon a tree, and flapped his black 
wings as long as he could see the coach. 


FIFTH STORY 
The Little Robber-Maiden 

Now Gerda was driven through a gloomy 
forest, but the coach shone like a torch, and 
it dazzled the eyes of some robbers who were 
in the woods so that they could not bear to 
look at it. 

“’Tis gold! ’Tis gold!” cried they; and 


230 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

they rushed forward, seized the horses, 
knocked down the little postilion, the coach- 
man, and the servants, and pulled little Gerda 
out of the carriage. 

^‘How plump, how beautiful she is! She 
must have been fed on nut-kernels,” said an 
old robber-woman, who had a long, scrubby 
beard, and bushy eyebrows that hung down 
over her eyes. “She will taste as good as a 
fatted lamb!” And then she drew out a knife, 
the blade of which shone so that it was quite 
dreadful to behold. 

“Let her alone,” called out a little robber- 
child. “She will give me her muff, and her 
pretty frock; she shall sleep in my bed!” 

“I will have a ride in her carriage,” said 
the little robber-maiden. She would have 
her will, for she was very spoiled, and very 
headstrong. She and Gerda got in; and then 
away they drove over the stumps of felled 
trees, deeper and deeper into the woods. The 
little robber-maiden was as tall as Gerda, but 
stronger, broader-shouldered, and of dark 
complexion; her eyes were quite black. She 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 231 

embraced little Gerda, and said, “They shall 
not kill you as long as I am not displeased 
with you. You are, doubtless, a princess?’’ 

“No,” said little Gerda, who then related 
all that had happened to her, and how much 
she cared about little Kay. 

The little robber-maiden looked at her with 
a serious air, nodded her head slightly, and 
said, “They shall not kill you, even if I am 
angry with you : then I will do it myself;” and 
she dried Gerda’s eyes, and put both her hands 
in the handsome muff, which was so soft and 
warm. 

At length the carriage stopped. They were 
in the midst of the courtyard of a robber’s cas- 
tle. It was full of cracks from top to bottom; 
and out of the openings magpies and rooks 
were flying; and the great bulldogs, each of 
which looked as if he could swallow a man, 
jumped up, but they did not bark, for that was 
forbidden. 

In the midst of the large, old, smoking hall 
burnt a great fire on the stone floor. The 
smoke disappeared under the stones, and had 


232 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

to seek its own egress. In an immense caul- 
dron soup was boiling; and rabbits and hares 
were being roasted on a spit. 

‘^You shall sleep with me to-night, with my 
little animals,” said the little robber-maiden. 
They had something to eat and drink ; and then 
went into a corner, where straw and carpets 
were lying. Beside them, on perches, sat 
nearly a hundred pigeons, all asleep, seem- 
ingly, but yet they moved a little when the 
robber-maiden came. “They are all mine,” 
said she, at the same time seizing one that was 
next to her by the legs, and shaking it so that 
its wings fluttered. 

“Kiss it!” cried the little girl, flapping the 
pigeon in Gerda’s face. “There are a lot of 
them,” continued she, pointing to a hole high 
up in the wall. “They would all fly away im- 
mediately, if they were not well fastened in. 
And here is my dear old Bac.” She laid hold 
of the horns of a reindeer, that had a bright 
copper ring round its neck, and was tethered 
to the spot. “We are obliged to lock this fel- 
low in, too, or he would make his escape. 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 233 

Every evening I tickle his neck with my sharp 
knife, which he is very much afraid of!” and 
the little girl drew forth a long knife from a 
crack in the wall, and let it glide gently across 
the reindeer’s neck. The poor animal began 
to kick and the girl laughed, and pulled Gerda 
into bed with her.” 

‘^Do you intend to keep your knife while 
you sleep?” asked Gerda, looking at it rather 
fearfully. 

“I always sleep with the knife,” said the lit- 
tle robber-maiden: ^^there is no knowing what 
may happen. But tell me now, once more, all 
about little Kay; and why you have started off 
in the wide world alone.” And Gerda related 
all, from the very beginning. The little rob- 
ber-maiden wound her arm round Gerda’s 
neck, held the knife in the other hand, and 
snored so loud that everybody could hear her. 
But Gerda could not close her eyes, not know- 
ing whether she was to live or die. The rob- 
bers sat round the fire, and the old robber- 
woman jumped about so, that it was dreadful 
for Gerda to see her. 


234 the garnet story BOOK 

Then the wood-pigeons said, “Coo! coo! we 
have seen little Kay! A white hen carries his 
sledge; he himself sat in the carriage of the 
Snow-Queen, which passed right over the for- 
est as we lay in our nests. She blew upon us 
young ones, and all died except we two. Coo ! 
coor 

“What is that you say up there?” cried little 
Gerda. “Where did the Snow-Queen go to? 
Do you know anything about it?” 

“She is no doubt gone to Lapland; for there 
are always snow and ice there. Only ask the 
Reindeer, who is tethered here.” 

“Aye, ice and snow indeed! There it is 
glorious and beautiful!” said the Reindeer. 
“One can spring about in the large, shining 
valleys! The Snow-Queen has her summer- 
tent there; but her fixed abode is high up to- 
.wards the North Pole, on the island called 
Spitzbergen.” 

“O Kay! poor little Kay!” sighed Gerda. 

“Do you choose to be quiet?” said the rob- 
ber-maiden. “If you don’t, I shall make 
you.” 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 235 

In the morning Gerda told her all that the 
wood-pigeons had said; and the little maiden 
looked very serious, but she nodded her head, 
and said, “That’s no matter — that’s no mat- 
ter. Do you know where Lapland lies?” asked 
she of the Reindeer. 

“Who should know better than I?” said the 
animal; and his eyes rolled in his head. “I 
was born and bred there; there I leapt about 
on the fields of snow.” 

“Listen,” said the robber-maiden to Gerda. 
“You see that the men are gone; but my 
mother is still here, and will remain. As soon 
as she sleeps a little I will do something for 
you.” She now jumped out of bed, flew to her 
mother; and with her arms round her neck 
said, “Good-morning, you old stupid! good- 
morning.” And her mother in return took 
hold of her nose, and pinched it till it was red 
and blue, — and all this was out of pure 
love. 

When the mother had taken a sup, and was 
having a nap, the little robber-maiden went 
to the Reindeer, and said, “I should very much 


236 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

like to give you still many a tickling with a 
sharp knife, for then you are so amusing; how- 
ever, I will untether you, and help you out, 
so that you may get back to Lapland. But you 
must make good use of your legs; and take this 
little girl for me to the palace of the Snow- 
Queen, where her playfellow is. You have 
heard, I suppose, all she said; for she spoke 
loud enough, and you were listening.’’ 

The Reindeer gave a bound for joy. The 
robber-maiden lifted up little Gerda, and took 
the precaution to bind her fast on the Rein- 
deer’s back; she even gave her a small cushion 
to sit on. ‘‘Here are your worsted leggins, for 
it will be cold; but the muff I shall keep for 
myself, for it is so very pretty. But I do not 
wish you to be cold. Here is a pair of lined 
gloves belonging to my mother; they will just 
reach up to your elbow.” 

And Gerda wept for joy. 

“I can’t bear to see you fretting,” said the 
little robber-maiden. “This is just the time 
when you ought to look pleased. Here are two 
loaves and a ham for you, so now you won’t 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 237 

starve.” The bread and the meat were fast- 
ened to the Reindeer’s back; the little maiden 
opened the door, called in all the dogs, and 
then with her knife cut the rope that fastened 
the animal, and said to him, “Now off with 
you; but take good care of the little girl!” 

And Gerda stretched out her hands with the 
large, wadded gloves toward the robber- 
maiden, and said, “Farewell!” and the Rein- 
deer flew on over bush and bramble, through 
the great wood, over moor and heath, as fast 
as he could go. 


SIXTH STORY 

The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman 

Suddenly they stopped before a little 
house which looked very miserable: the roof 
reached to the ground; and the door was so 
low, that the family was obliged to creep on 
all fours when they went in or out. Nobody 
was at home except an old Lapland woman, 


238 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

who was dressing fish by the light of an oil 
lamp. And the Reindeer told her the whole 
of Gerda’s history, but first of all, his own; 
for that seemed to him of much greater im- 
portance. Gerda was so chilled that she could 
not speak. 

“Poor thing,” said the Lapland woman, 
“you have far to run still. You have more 
than a hundred miles to go before you get to 
Finland; there the Snow-Queen has her coun- 
try-house, and burns blue lights every even- 
ing. I will give you a few words from me, 
which I will write on a dried fish, for paper I 
have none. This you can take with you to the 
Finland woman, and she will be able to give 
you more information than I can.” 

When Gerda had warmed herself, and had 
eaten and drunk, the Lapland woman wrote a 
few words on a dried fish, begged Gerda to 
take care of them, put her on the Reindeer, 
bound her fast, and away sprang the animal. 
The most charming blue lights burned the 
whole night in the sky, and at last they came 
to Finland. They knocked at the chimney of 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 239 

the Finland woman; for as to a door, she had 
none. 

There was such a heat inside that the Fin- 
land woman herself went about almost naked. 
She was diminutive and dirty. She immedi- 
ately loosened little Gerda’s clothes, pulled off 
her thick gloves and boots; for otherwise the 
heat would have been too great; and after 
laying a piece of ice on the Reindeer’s head, 
read what was written on the fishskin. She 
read it three times; she then knew it by heart; 
so she put the fish into the cupboard — for it 
might very well be eaten, and she never threw 
anything away. 

Then the Reindeer related his own story 
first, and afterwards that of little Gerda; and 
the Finland woman winked her eyes, but said 
nothing. 

‘‘You are so clever,” said the Reindeer: “you 
can, I know, twist all the winds of the world 
together in a knot. If the seaman loosens one 
knot, then he has a good wind; if a second, 
then it blows pretty stiffly; if he undoes the 
third and fourth, then it rages so that the for- 


240 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

ests are upturned. Will you give the little 
maiden a potion, that she may possess the 
strength of twelve men, and be able to conquer 
the Snow-Queen?” 

^‘The strength of twelve men!” said the Fin- 
land woman; ^^much good that would be!” 
Then she went to a cupboard, and drew out a 
large skin rolled up. When she had unrolled 
it, strange characters were to be seen written 
thereon; and the Finland woman read at such 
a rate, that the perspiration trickled down her 
forehead. But the Reindeer begged so hard 
for little Gerda, and Gerda looked so implor- 
ingly with tearful eyes at the Finland woman, 
that she winked and drew the Reindeer aside 
into a corner, where they whispered together, 
while the animal got some fresh ice put on his 
head. 

“ ’Tis true little Kay is at the Snow-Queen’s 
and finds everything there quite to his taste; 
and he thinks it the very best place in the 
world: but the reason of that is, he has a splin- 
ter of glass in his eye and in his heart. These 
must be gotten out first; otherwise he will 


241 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 

never go back to mankind, and the Snow- 
Queen will always retain her power over 
him.” 

“But you can give little Gerda nothing to 
take which will endue her with power over the 
whole?” 

“I can give her no more power than what 
she has already. Don’t you see how great it is ? 
Don’t you see how men and animals are forced 
to serve her; how well she gets through the 
world barefooted? She must not hear of her 
power from us: that power lies in her heart, 
because she is a sweet and innocent child! If 
she cannot get to the Snow-Queen by herself, 
and rid little Kay of the glass, we cannot help 
her. Two miles hence the garden of the Snow- 
Queen begins; thither you may carry the little 
girl. Set her down by the large bush with red 
berries, standing in the snow; don’t stay talk- 
ing, but hasten back as fast as possible.” And 
now the Finland woman placed little Gerda 
on the Reindeer’s back, and off he ran with all 
imaginable speed. 

“Oh! I have not got my boots! I have not 


242 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

brought my gloves!” cried little Gerda. She 
remarked she was without them from the cut- 
ting frost; but the Reindeer dared not stand 
still; on he ran till he came to the great bush 
with the red berries; and there he set Gerda 
down, kissed her mouth, while large, bright 
tears flowed from the animal’s eyes, and 
then back he went as fast as possible. There 
stood poor Gerda now, without shoes or 
gloves, in the very middle of dreadful, icy 
Finland. 

She ran on as fast as she could. There then 
came a whole regiment of snowflakes, but they 
did not fall from above, and they were quite 
bright and shining from the Aurora Borealis. 
The flakes ran along the ground, and the 
nearer they came the larger they grew. Gerda 
well remembered how large and strange the 
snowflakes appeared when she once saw them 
through a magnifying-glass; but now they 
were large and terrific in another manner — 
they were all alive. They were the outposts of 
of the Snow-Queen. They had the most won- 
drous shapes ; some looked like large, ugly por- 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 243 

cupines; others like snakes knotted together, 
with their heads sticking out; and others, 
again, like small, fat bears, with the hair stand- 
ing on end: all were of dazzling whiteness — 
all were living snowflakes. 

The cold was so intense that little Gerda 
could see her own breath, which came like 
smoke out of her mouth. It grew thicker and 
thicker, and took the form of little angels, that 
grew more and more when they touched the 
earth. All had helmets on their heads, and 
carried lances and shields in their hands. 
They increased in numbers; and soon Gerda 
was surrounded by a host of them. They 
pierced the frightful snowflakes with their 
spears, so that they flew into a thousand pieces ; 
and little Gerda walked on bravely and in se- 
curity. The angels patted her hands and feet; 
and then she felt the cold less, and went on 
quickly towards the palace of the Snow- 
Queen. 

But now we shall see how Kay fared. He 
never thought of Gerda, and least of all that 
she was standing before the palace. 


244 the garnet story BOOK 
SEVENTH STORY 


What Took Place in the Palace of the Snow- 

Queen, and What Happened Afterward 

The walls of the palace were of driving 
snow, and the windows and doors of cutting 
winds. There were more than a hundred halls 
there, according as the snow was driven by the 
winds. The largest was many miles in ex- 
tent; all were lighted up by the powerful 
Aurora Borealis, and all were large, empty, 
icy cold, and resplendent! Mirth never 
reigned there; there was never even a little 
ball for the bears, with the storm of music, 
while the polar bears went on their hind-legs 
and showed off their steps. Never a little tea- 
party of white young lady foxes; vast, cold, 
and empty were the halls of the Snow-Queen. 
The northern lights shone with such precision 
that one could tell exactly when they were at 
their highest or lowest degree of brightness. 
In the middle of the empty, endless hall of 
snow was a frozen lake; it was cracked in a 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 245 

thousand pieces, but each piece was so like the 
other, that it seemed the work of a cunning 
artificer. In the middle of this lake sat the 
Snow-Queen when she was at home. But just 
now she had gone away in a far distant 
land. 

Little Kay was quite blue, yes, nearly black, 
with cold; but he did not observe it, for she 
had kissed away all feeling of cold from his 
body, and his heart was a lump of ice. He was 
dragging along some pointed, flat pieces of ice, 
which he laid together in all possible ways, for 
he wanted to make something with them; just 
as we have little flat pieces of wood to make 
geometrical figures with, called the Chinese 
Puzzle. Kay made all sorts of figures, the 
most complicated, for it was an ice-puzzle for 
the understanding. In his eyes the figures 
were extraordinarily beautiful, and of the ut- 
most importance; for the bit of glass which 
was in his eye caused this. He found whole 
figures which represented a written word; but 
he never could manage to represent just the 
word he wanted — that word was ‘‘Eternity’’; 


246 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

and the Snow-Queen had said, “If you can 
discover that figure, you shall be your own 
master, and I will make you a present of the 
whole world and a pair of new skates.” But 
he could not find it out. 

“I am going now to the warm lands,” said 
the Snow-Queen. “I must have a look down 
into the black cauldrons.” It was the vol- 
canoes Vesuvius and Etna that she meant. “I 
will just give them a coating of white, for that 
is as it ought to be; besides, it is good for the 
oranges and the grapes.” And then away she 
flew, and Kay sat quite alone in the empty 
halls of ice that were miles long, and looked at 
the blocks of ice. There he sat quite benumbed 
and motionless ; one would have imagined he 
was frozen to death. 

Suddenly little Gerda stepped through the 
great portal into the palace. The gate was 
formed of cutting winds; but Gerda repeated 
her evening prayer, and the winds were laid as 
though they slept; and the little maiden en- 
tered the vast, empty, cold halls. There she 
beheld Kay: she recognized him, flew to em- 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 247 

brace him, and cried out, her arms firmly hold- 
ing him the while, ‘^Kay, sweet little Kay! 
Have I then found you at last!” 

But he sat quite still, benumbed and cold. 
Then little Gerda shed burning tears ; and they 
fell on his bosom, they penetrated to his heart, 
they thawed the lumps of ice, and consumed 
the splinters of the looking-glass; he looked at 
her, and she sang the hymn : — 

“The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet, 
The Christ-child is there the children to 
greet.” 

Hereupon Kay burst into tears; he wept so 
much that the splinter rolled out of his eye, 
and he recognized her, and shouted, “Gerda, 
sweet little Gerda! where have you been so 
long? And where have I been?” He looked 
round him, “How cold it is here!” said he: 
“how empty and cold!” And he held fast by 
Gerda, who laughed and wept for joy. It was 
so beautiful, that even the blocks of ice danced 
about for joy; and when they were tired and 


248 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

laid themselves down, they formed exactly the 
letters which the Snow-Queen had told him 
to find out; so now he was his own master, and 
he would have the whole world and a pair of 
new skates into the bargain. 

Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they grew quite 
blooming; she kissed his eyes, and they shone 
like her own ; she kissed his hands and feet, and 
he was again well and merry. The Snow- 
Queen might come back as soon as she liked ; 
there stood his discharge written in resplen- 
dent masses of ice. 

They took each other by the hands, and wan- 
dered forth out of the large hall; they talked 
of their old grandmother, and of the roses 
upon the roof; and wherever they went, the 
winds ceased raging, and the sun burst forth. 
And when they reached the bush with the red 
berries, they found the Reindeer waiting for 
them. He had brought another, a young one, 
with him, whose udder was filled with milk, 
which he gave to the little ones, and kissed 
their lips. They then carried Kay and Gerda, 
— first to the Finland woman, where they 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 249 

warmed themselves in the warm room, and 
learned what they were to do on their journey 
home; and then they went to the Lapland 
woman, who made some new clothes for them 
and repaired their sledges. 

The Reindeer and the young hind leaped 
along beside them, and accompanied them to 
the boundary of the country. Here the first 
vegetation peeped forth; here Kay and Gerda 
took leave of the Lapland woman. ^Tarewell ! 
farewell !” said they all. And the first green 
buds appeared, the first little birds began to 
twitter; and out of the wood came, riding on 
a magnificent horse which Gerda knew (it was 
one of the leaders in the golden carriage), a 
young damsel with a bright red cap on her 
head, and armed with pistols. It was the little 
robber-maiden, who, tired of being at home, 
had determined to make a journey to the 
north; and afterwards in another direction, 
if that did not please her. She recognized 
Gerda immediately, and Gerda knew her, too. 
It was a joyful meeting. 

‘^You are a fine fellow for tramping about,” 


250 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

said she to little Kay; “I should like to know 
whether you deserve that one should run from 
one end of the world to the other for your 
sake!” 

But Gerda patted her cheeks, and inquired 
for the Prince and Princess. 

‘^They are gone abroad,” said the other. 

‘^But the Raven?” asked little Gerda. 

‘‘Oh! the Raven is dead,” answered she. 
“His tame sweetheart is a widow, and wears a 
bit of black worsted round her leg; she la- 
ments most piteously, but it’s all mere talk and 
stuff! Now tell me what you’ve been doing, 
and how you managed to catch him.” 

And Gerda and Kay both told her their 
story. 

And “Snip, snap, snorum!” said the robber- 
maiden; and she took the hands of each, and 
promised that if she should some day pass 
through the town where they lived, she would 
come and visit them; and then away she rode. 
Kay and Gerda took each other’s hand : it was 
lovely spring weather, with abundance of flow- 
ers and of verdure. The chuch-bells rang. 


THE SNOW-QUEEN 251 

and the children recognized the high towers, 
and the large town; it was that in which they 
dwelt. They entered, and hastened up to their 
grandmother’s room, where everything was 
standing as formerly. The clock said, “Tick! 
tock!” and the finger moved round ; but as they 
entered, they remarked that they were now 
grown up. The roses on the roof hung bloom- 
ing in at the open window; there stood the lit- 
tle children’s chairs, and Kay and Gerda sat 
down on them, holding each other by the hand ; 
they both had forgotten the cold, empty splen- 
dour of the Snow-Queen, as though it had been 
a dream. The grandmother sat in the bright 
sunshine, and read aloud from the Bible: “Un- 
less ye become as little children, ye cannot en- 
ter the kingdom of heaven.” 

And Kay and Gerda looked in each other’s 
eyes, and all at once they understood the old 
hymn : — 

“The rose in the valley is blooming so sweet. 
The Christ-child is there the children to 
greet.” 


252 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

There sat the two grown-up persons; grown 
up, and yet children; children at least in 
heart: and it was summer-time; summer, glo- 
rious summer I 


A MERRY TALE OF THE KING AND 
THE COBBLER 


It was the custom of King Henry the Eighth 
to disguise himself and walk late in the night 
into the city of London, to observe how the 
constables, and watchmen performed their 
duty, not only in guarding the city gates, but 
also, in diligently watching the inner part of 
the city, to observe what went on in the streets. 
This he did oftimes returning home to White- 
hall early in the morning without its being 
discovered who he was. Now, on returning 
home through the Strand he often took notice 
of a certain cobbler who was always up at 
work, whistling and singing every morning. 
So, resolving to see him, the king knocked off 
the heel pf his shoe, by hitting it against a 


254 the garnet story BOOK 

stone. Having so done he bounced against 
the stall. 

^‘Who is there?” cried the cobbler opening 
his stall door. The king asked him if he could 
fit on his heel. 

^^Yes, that I can,” said the cobbler. ‘‘So sit 
thee down and I will do it for thee straight- 
way.” 

The cobbler laid aside his awls and old 
shoes to make room for the king to sit by him. 
The king was hardly able to keep from laugh- 
ing at the cobbler’s manner. He then asked 
him, “Is there not a house near where I can 
get a cup of good ale, and the people up?” 

“Yes,” said the cobbler, “there is an inn 
over the way, where I think the folks are up, 
for carriers go from there very early every 
morning.” 

With that the king borrowed an old shoe 
of the cobbler and went with him over to the 
inn, desiring him to bring his shoe over there, 
as soon as he had mended it. The cobbler 
promised that he would; so making as much 
haste as he could, he carried it over to the 


THE KING AND THE COBBLER 255 

king saying, ‘‘Honest blade, here is thy shoe. 
I’ll warrant thee, the heel will not come off 
again in haste.” 

“Well,” said the king, “as thou art an honest, 
merry fellow, here is sixpence for thee. 
Come, sit down by me and I will drink with 
thee. Here’s a good health to the king!” 

“With all my heart,” said the cobbler. “I 
will pledge thee that were it only in water.” 

So the cobbler sat down by the king and 
was very merry. He sang some of his merry 
songs and catches at which the king laughed 
heartily, and was very pleasant with the cob- 
bler, telling him, withal, that his name was 
Harry Tudor and that he belonged to the court 
and that if the cobbler would come to see him 
there, he would make him very welcome be- 
cause he was such a merry companion. He 
charged him to come and not forget his name, 
and to ask anyone about the court for him. 
“For,” said the king, “I am well known there. 
They will bring you to me.” 

Now the cobbler little dreamed that it was 
the king that spoke to him, much less that 


2s6 the garnet story book 

the king’s name was Harry Tudor. There- 
fore, with a great deal of confidence, he stood 
up, and pulled off his hat and gave the king 
many thanks, telling him that he was one of 
the most honest fellows he had ever met in all 
his life, and that, though he had never been at 
court, it would not be long before he would 
make a holiday and come to see him. Where- 
upon the king, having discharged the reckon- 
ing for what he had had, would have taken 
leave, but the cobbler, taking the king by the 
hand said, “By my faith! thou shalt not go 
yet; thou shalt first go and see my poor habita- 
tion, for thou art the most honest blade I ever 
met, and I love an honest, merry companion 
with all my heart.” 

So the cobbler took the king with him, over 
the way, where he had a cellar adjoining his 
stall; which was handsomely furnished for a 
man of his calling. Into the cellar he led 
the king. 

“There,” said he, “sit thee down, thou art 
welcome; but I must desire thee to speak 
softly for fear of waking my wife, Joan, who 


THE KING AND THE COBBLER 257 

is in her bed nearby, ?or, if she should wake, 
she would certainly make our ears ring.” 

At this speech of the cobbler’s the king 
laughed, and told him he would be mindful 
to follow his directions. 

So the cobbler kindled a fire and fetched 
a brown loaf, from which he cut a large slice 
of bread. This he set before the fire. Then 
he brought forth a Cheshire cheese. 

“Come,” said he, “wilt thou eat some 
cheese? There’s as much good fellowship in 
eating, as in drinking.” This made the king 
admire the freedom of the cobbler. Having 
eaten a piece, the cobbler began, “Here’s a 
health to all true hearts and merry compan- 
ions,” at which the king smilingly said, “I’ll 
pledge thee, old friend. I’ll pledge thee.” 

In this manner they ate and drank together, 
until almost break of day. The cobbler be- 
came very free with the king, pleasing the 
king with several of his old stories. 

But suddenly, the cobbler’s old wife, Joan, 
began to show signs of waking. 

“In faith,” said the cobbler, “you must be 


258 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

gone now, for my wife, Joan, begins to grum- 
ble. She will wake presently and I would 
not, for all the shoes in my shop, that she 
should find thee here.” 

So taking the king upstairs he said, “Fare- 
well, honest blade, it shall not be long before 
I make a holiday and come to see thee at 
court.” 

The king replied, “Thou shalt be kindly 
welcome.” 

So they parted, the king going on his way 
to Whitehall, and the cobbler back to his cel- 
lar where he put all things to rights before 
his wife, Joan, appeared. He went to work 
again whistling and singing as merry as he 
used to do, much satisfied that he had hap- 
pened on such a good companion, and 
very mucji delighted at thinking of the merry 
time he would have when he went to court. 

As soon as the king reached home, he gave 
orders to all about the court that if anyone 
inquired for him by the name of Harry Tudor, 
the person should be brought before him, with- 
out further examination. 


TREKING AND THE COBBLER 259 

To the cobbler every day seemed a month 
until he had been at court to see his new ac- 
quaintance. But he was much troubled how 
he should get leave of his wife, Joan. He 
could not go without her knowledge for he 
had resolved to make himself as fine as ever 
he could and his wife, Joan, always kept his 
holiday clothes. One evening as they sat at sup- 
per, she being in good humour, he began to lay 
open his mind to her and tell her the whole 
story of the acquaintance, repeating over and 
over again that Harry Tudor was the most 
honest man he had ever met. 

‘^Husband,” said Joan, “because you have 
been so generous as to tell me the truth, I shall 
give you leave to take a holiday. You shall 
go to court and I will make you as fine as pos- 
sible.” 

So it was agreed that he might go the next 
day. 

Joan arose the next morning to brush 
her husband’s clothes and to make him 
look as snug as could be. She washed and 
ironed his lace band, and made his shoes shine. 


26 o the garnet story BOOK 

till he could see his face in them. When this 
was done she made her husband arise and 
dressed him carefully in his best clothes. 

The cobbler being thus equipped in his best 
strutted through the streets, like a crow, think- 
ing himself very fine indeed. In this man- 
ner he came to court, staring at this person and 
that, as he walked up and down, and not know- 
ing anyone to ask for but Harry Tudor. At 
last he spied one as he thought in the dress of 
a serving man. To him he made his address, 
saying, ^‘Dost thou hear, honest fellow, dost 
thou know one Harry Tudor who belongs to 
the court?” 

^Tes,” said the man, ‘‘follow me; and I will 
take you to him.” 

With that he took him presently into the 
guard-chamber, telling one of the yeomen of 
the guard that here was a man who was in- 
quiring for Harry Tudor. 

The yeoman replied, “I know him very well, 
and if you please to go along with me, I will 
bring you to him immediately.” 

So the cobbler followed the yeoman much 


THE KING AND THE COBBLER 261 


admiring the finery of the rooms through 
which he passed and thinking within himself 
that the yeoman was not very unlike the per- 
son he inquired after. ^^He, whom I look 
for,” said he, “is a plain, merry, honest fellow. 
His name is Harry Tudor. I suppose he may 
be some fine lord or other about the court.” 

“I tell you, friend,” replied the yeoman, “I 
do not know him very well. Do but follow 
me and I will bring you to him straightway.” 

So they went on and soon reached the room 
where the king sat surrounded by many of his 
nobles. As soon as the yeoman had drawn 
aside the curtains he called out saying, “May 
it please your majesty, here is one that in-; 
quires for Harry Tudor.” 

The cobbler hearing this and thinking he 
had committed no less than treason took to his 
heels and ran for his life. But not being ac- 
quainted with the several turnings and rooms 
through which he had come, he was soon over- 
taken and brought before the king, whom the 
cobbler little thought to be the person he was 
inquiring for. He therefore, fell on his knees 


262 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


saying, ^‘May it please your Grace, I am a 
poor cobbler and inquired for one called 
Harry Tudor, who is a very honest fellow. 
I mended the heel of his shoe not long ago, 
for which he paid me nobly. I had him after- 
wards to my own cellar, where we were very 
merry, till my wife, Joan, began to wake, 
which put an end to our merriment, for that 
time. But I told him that I surely would 
come to court to see him, as soon as I con- 
veniently could.” 

‘Well,” said the king, “rise up and be not 
afraid! Look well about you. Perhaps you 
may find the fellow in this company.” 

The cobbler arose and looked wistfully upon 
the king and his nobles, but to no purpose; 
for, although he thought he saw something in 
the king’s face which he had seen before, yet, 
he could not imagine him to be Harry Tudor, 
the heel of whose shoe he had mended, and 
who had been so merry with him, both at the 
inn and in his own cellar. 

He therefore told the king he did not ex- 
pect to find Harry Tudor among such fine 


THE KING AND THE COBBLER 263 

folks as he saw there, but the person that he 
looked for was a plain, honest, true-hearted 
fellow, adding withal, that he was sure if 
Harry Tudor did but know that he had come 
to court he would make him welcome. 

At this speech of the cobbler, the king had 
much to do to forbear laughing; but keeping 
his countenance as well as he could, he said 
to the yeoman of the guard, ^^Here, take this 
honest cobbler down into the cellar and I will 
give orders that Harry Tudor shall come to 
him presently.’’ 

So away went the cobbler ready to leap out 
of his skin for joy, not only that he had gotten 
off so well in his meeting with the king, but 
also that he should soon see his friend, Harry 
Tudor, again. 

The cobbler had not been long in the cellar 
before the king came into him, in the same 
clothes he had on when the cobbler mended 
his shoe. The cobbler knew him immediately 
and ran to him and kissed him, saying, ‘^Hon- 
est Harry, I have made a holiday on purpose 
to come and see you, but I had much to do 


264 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

to get leave of my wife, Joan, who was loathe 
I should lose so much time from my work, 
but I was resolved to^ see you. So I made my- 
self as fine as I could. But I’ll tell you, 
Harry, when I came to court, I was in a pack 
of trouble how to find you out. At last I met 
a man who told me he knew you very well, 
and that he would bring me to you. But in- 
stead of doing so he brought me before the 
king, who has almost frightened me to death. 
But in good faith,” continued the cobbler, 
am resolved to be merry with you, since I have 
the good fortune to find you at last.” 

‘‘Ay, so you shall,” replied the king, “we 
will be as merry as princes.” 

With that they drank together the king’s 
health. 

“Honest Harry, I will pledge thee with all 
my heart.” 

Now after the cobbler had made merry, he 
began to sing some of his old songs and catches. 
This pleased the king very much and made 
him laugh most heartily. All of a sudden a 
group of nobles came into the cellar richly 


THE KING AND THE COBBLER 265 

dressed. They stood with heads uncovered 
bowing before Harry Tudor. This amazed 
the cobbler very much but recovering himself 
he looked more closely upon Harry Tudor 
and presently he knew him to be the king 
whom he had seen in the Presence Chamber. 

He immediately fell upon his knees, saying, 
‘‘May it please your Majesty, I am an honest 
cobbler and meant no harm.’’ 

‘‘No, no,” said the king, “nor shall receive 
any here, I promise you.” 

He commanded the cobbler, therefore, to 
rise and be as merry as he was before; and 
though he knew him to be the king yet he 
should use the same freedom with him as he 
did when he mended his shoe. This kind 
speech of the king’s put the cobbler in as good 
humour as he was before. He told the king 
many of his best stories and he sang more of 
his jolly songs, very much to the satisfaction of 
the king and his nobles. 

Now the king, considering the pleasant hu- 
mours of the cobbler, how innocently merry 
he was, and free from any design, and how 


266 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


he laboured very hard, and took a great deal 
of pains for a small livelihood, was pleased, 
out of his princely face and favour to allot him 
a liberal annuity of forty marks a year for 
the better support of his jolly humours and the 
maintenance of himself and his wife Joan. 
The king ordered that he should be admitted 
as one of the courtiers. 

This was so much beyond his highest ex- 
pectations that it pleased him greatly, much 
to the satisfaction of the king. 

So after some bows and scrapes, he returned 
to his wife, Joan, with the joyful news of his 
kind reception at court. 

From Gammer Gurton’s Historie. 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 


Frances Browne 

Once upon a time there lived in the north 
country a certain poor man and his wife, who 
had two corn-fields, three cows, five sheep, and 
thirteen children. Twelve of these children 
were called by names common in the north 
country — Hardhead, Stiffneck, Tightfingers, 
and the like; but when the thirteenth came to 
be named, either the poor man and his wife 
could remember no other name, or something 
in the child’s look made them think it proper, 
for they called him Merrymind, which the 
neighbours thought a strange name, and very 
much above their station; however, as they 
showed no other signs of pride, the neighbours 
let that pass. Their thirteen children grew 
taller and stronger every year, and they had 
hard work to keep them in bread; but when 

267 


268 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


the youngest was old enough to look after his 
father’s sheep, there happened the great fair, 
to which everybody in the north country went, 
because it came only once in seven years. It 
was held on midsummer-day, not in any town 
or village, but on a green plain, lying between 
a broad river and a high hill, where it was 
said the fairies used to dance in old and merry 
times. 

Merchants and dealers of all sorts crowded 
to that fair from far and near. There was 
nothing known in the north country that could 
not be bought or sold in it, and neither old nor 
young were willing to go home without a fair- 
ing. The poor man who owned this large 
family could afford them little to spend in 
such ways; but as the fair happened only once 
in seven years, he would not show a poor 
spirit. Therefore, calling them about him, he 
opened the leathern bag in which his savings 
were stored, and gave every one of the thirteen 
a silver penny. 

The boys and girls had never before owned 
so much pocket-money; and, wondering what 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 269 

they should buy, they dressed themselves in 
their holiday clothes, and set out with their 
father and mother to the fair. When they 
came near the ground that midsummer morn- 
ing, the stalls, heaped up with all manner of 
merchandise, from ginger-bread upwards, the 
tents for fun and feasting, the puppet-shows, 
the rope-dancers, and the crowd of neighbours 
and strangers, all in their best attire, made 
those simple people think their north country 
fair the finest sight in the world. The day 
wore away in seeing wonders, and in chatting 
with old friends. It was surprising how far 
silver pennies went in those days; but before 
evening twelve of the thirteen had got fairly 
rid of their money. One bought a pair of 
brass buckles, another a crimson riband, a 
third green garters; the father bought a to- 
bacco-pipe, the mother a horn snuffbox — in 
short, all had provided themselves with fair- 
ings except Merrymind. 

The cause of the silver penny remaining in 
his pocket was that he had set his heart upon 
a fiddle; and fiddles enough there were in the 


270 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

fair — small and large, plain and painted: he 
looked at and priced most of them, but there 
was not one that came within the compass of 
a silver penny. His father and mother warned 
him to make haste with his purchase, for they 
must all go home at sunset because th^way 
was long. 

The sun was getting low and red upon the 
hill; the fair was growing thin, for many deal- 
ers had packed up their stalls and departed; 
but there was a mossy hollow in the great hill- 
side, to which the outskirts of the fair had 
reached, and Merrymind thought he would see 
what might be there. The first thing was a 
stall of fiddles, kept by a young merchant from 
a far country, who had many customers, his 
goods being fine and new; but hard by sat a 
little gray-haired man, at whom everybody had 
laughed that day, because he had nothing on 
his stall but one old dingy fiddle, and all its 
strings were broken. Nevertheless, the little 
man sat as stately, and cried, ‘Tiddles to sell!” 
as if he had the best stall in the fair. 

“Buy a fiddle, my young master?” he said. 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 271 

as Merrymind came forward. “You shall 
have it cheap : I ask but a silver penny for it; 
and if the strings were mended, its like would 
not be in the north country.’’ 

Merrymind thought this a great bargain. 
He was a handy boy, and could mend the 
strings while watching his father’s sheep. So 
down went the silver penny on the little man’s 
stall, and up went the fiddle under Merry- 
mind’s arm. 

“Now, my young master,” said the little 
man, “you see that we merchants have a deal 
to look after, and if you help me to bundle up 
my stall, I will tell you a wonderful piece of 
news about that fiddle.” 

Merrymind was good-natured and fond of 
news, so he helped him to tie up the loose 
boards and sticks that composed his stall 
with an old rope, and when they were 
hoisted on his back like a fagot, the little 
man said: 

“About that fiddle, my young master: it is 
certain the strings can never be mended, nor 
made new, except by threads from the night- 
spinners, which, if you get, it will be a good 


272 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

pennyworth,” and up the hill he ran like a 
greyhound. 

Merrymind thought that was queer news, 
but being given to hope the best, he believed 
the little man was only jesting, and made haste 
to join the rest of the family, who were soon 
on their way home. When they got there 
everyone showed his bargain, and Merrymind 
showed his fiddle; but Eis brothers and sisters 
laughed at him for buying such a thing when 
he had never learned to play. His sisters 
asked him what music he could bring out of 
broken strings; and his father said: 

^‘Thou hast shown little prudence in laying 
out thy first penny, from which token I fear 
thou wilt never have many to lay out.” 

In short, everybody threw scorn on Merry- 
mind’s bargain except his mother. She, good 
woman, said if he laid out one penny ill, he 
might lay out the next better; and who knew 
but his fiddle would be of use some day? To 
make her words good, Merrymind fell to re- 
pairing the strings — he spent all his time, both 
night and day, upon them; but, true to the 
little man’s parting words, no mending would 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 273 

stand, and no string would hold on that fiddle. 
Merrymind tried everything, and wearied 
himself to no purpose. At last he thought of 
inquiring after people who spun at night; and 
this seemed such a good joke to the north 
country people that they wanted no other till 
the next fair. 

In the meantime, Merrymind lost credit at 
home and abroad. Everybody believed in his 
father’s prophecy; his brothers and sisters 
valued him no more than a herd-boy; the 
neighbours thought he must turn out a scape- 
grace. Still the boy would not part with his 
fiddle. It was his silver pennyworth, and he 
had a strong hope of mending the strings for 
all that had come and gone; but since nobody 
at home cared for him except his mother, and 
as she had twelve other children, he resolved 
to leave the scorn behind him, and go to seek 
his fortune. 

The family were not very sorry to hear of 
that intention, being in a manner ashamed of 
him; besides, they could spare one out of 
thirteen. His father gave him a barley cake, 
and his mother her blessing. All his brothers 


274 the garnet story BOOK 

and sisters wished him well. Most of the 
neighbours hoped that no harm would hap- 
pen to him; and Merrymind set out one sum- 
mer morning with the broken-stringed fiddle 
under his arm. 

There were no highways then in the north 
country — people took whatever path pleased 
them best; so Merrymind went over the fair 
ground and up the hill, hoping to meet the 
little man, and learn something of the night- 
spinners. The hill was covered with heather 
to the top, and he went up without meeting 
anyone. On the other side it was steep and 
rocky, and after a hard scramble down, he 
came to a narrow glen all overgrown with wild 
furze and brambles. Merrymind had never 
met with briars so sharp, but he was not the 
boy to turn back readily, and pressed on in 
spite of torn clothes and scratched hands, till 
he came to the end of the glen, where two 
paths met: one of them wound through a 
pinewood, he knew not how far, but it seemed 
green and pleasant. The other was a rough, 
stony way leading to a wide valley surrounded 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 275 

by high hills, and overhung by a dull, thick 
mist, though it was yet early in the summer 
evening. 

Merrymind was weary with his long jour- 
ney, and stood thinking of what path to 
choose, when, by the way of the valley, there 
came an old man as tall and large as any 
three men of the north country. His white 
hair and beard hung like tangled flax about 
him! his clothes were made of sackcloth; and 
on his back he carried a heavy burden of dust 
heaped high in a great pannier. 

^^Listen to me, you lazy vagabond!’’ he said, 
coming near to Merrymind. ^^If you take the 
way through the wood I know not what will 
happen to you; but if you choose this path 
you must help me with my pannier, and I can 
tell you it’s no trifle.” 

‘Well, father,” said Merrymind, “you seem 
tired, and I am younger than you, though not 
quite so tall; so, if you please, I will choose 
this way, and help you along with the pannier. 

Scarce had he spoken when the huge man 
caught hold of him, firmly bound one side of 


276 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

the pannier to his shoulders with the same 
strong rope that fastened it on his own back, 
and never ceased scolding and calling him 
names as they marched over the stony ground 
together. It was a rough way and a heavy 
burden, and Merrymind wished himself a 
thousand times out of the old man’s company, 
but there was no getting off; and at length, in 
hopes of beguiling the way, and putting him 
in better humour, he began to sing an old 
rhyme which his mother had taught him. By 
this time they had entered the valley, and the 
night had fallen very dark and cold. The old 
man ceased scolding, and by a feeble glimmer 
of the moonlight, which now began to shine, 
Merrymind saw that they were close by a de- 
serted cottage, for its doors stood open to the 
night winds. Here the old man paused, and 
loosed the rope from his own and Merry- 
mind’s shoulders. 

‘Tor seven times seven years,” he said, 
“have I carried this pannier, “and no one ever 
sang while helping me before. Night releases 
all men, so I release you. Where will you 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 277 

sleep — by my kitchen fire, or in that cold cot- 
tage?’’ 

Merrymind thought he had got quite 
enough of the old man’s society, and there- 
fore answered: 

^The cottage, good father, if you please.” 
sound sleep to you, then!” said the old 
man, and he went off with his pannier. 

Merrymind stepped into the deserted cot- 
tage. The moon was shining through door 
and window, for the mist was gone, and the 
night looked clear as day; but in all the valley 
he could hear no sound, nor was there any 
trace of inhabitants in the cottage. The hearth 
looked as if there had not been a fire there for 
years. A single article of furniture was not 
to be seen; but Merrymind was sore weary, 
and, laying himself down in a corner, with his 
fiddle close by, he fell fast asleep. 

The floor was hard, and his clothes were 
thin, but all through his sleep there came a 
sweet sound of singing voices and spinning- 
wheels and Merrymind thought he must have 
been dreaming when he opened his eyes next 


278 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

morning on the bare and solitary house. The 
beautiful night was gone, and the heavy mist 
had come back. There was no blue sky, no 
bright sun to be seen. The light was cold and 
grey, like that of mid-winter; but Merrymind 
ate the half of his barley cake, drank from a 
stream hard by, and went out to see the valley. 

It was full of inhabitants, and they were all 
busy in houses, in fields, in mills, and in forges. 
The men hammered and delved; the women 
scrubbed and scoured; the very children were 
hard at work; but Merrymind could hear 
neither talk nor laughter among them. Every 
face looked careworn and cheerless, and every 
word was something about work or gain. 

Merrymind thought this unreasonable, for 
everybody there appeared rich. The women 
scrubbed in silk, the men delved in scarlet. 
Crimson curtains, marble floors, and shelves 
of silver tankards were to be seen in every 
house; but their owners took neither ease nor 
pleasure in them, and everyone laboured as it 
were for life. 

The birds of that valley did not sing — they 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 279 

were too busy pecking and building. The 
cats did not lie by the fire — they were all on 
the watch for mice. The dogs went out after 
hares on their own account. The cattle and 
sheep grazed as if they were never to get an- 
other mouthful; and the herdsmen were all 
splitting wood or making baskets. 

In the midst of the valley there stood a 
stately castle, but instead of park and gardens, 
brew-houses and washing-greens lay round it. 
The gates stood open, and Merrymind ven- 
tured in. The courtyard was full of coopers. 
They were churning in the banquet hall. 
They were making cheese on the dais, and 
spinning and weaving in all its principal 
chambers. In the highest tower of that busy 
castle, at a window from which she could see 
the whole valley, there sat a noble lady. Her 
dress was rich, but of a dingy drab colour. 
Her hair was iron-grey; her look was sour 
and gloomy. Round her sat twelve maidens 
of the same aspect, spinning on ancient dis- 
taffs, and the lady spun as hard as they, but 
all the yarn they made was jet black. 


28 o the garnet story BOOK 

No one in or out of the castle would reply 
to Merrymind’s salutations, nor answer him 
any questions. The rich men pulled out their 
purses, saying, ^^Come and work for wages!’’ 
The poor men said, ‘We have no time to 
talk!” and a child by a cottage door said it 
must go to work. All day Merrymind wan- 
dered about with his broken-stringed fiddle, 
and all day he saw the great old man march- 
ing round and round the valley with his heavy 
burden of dust. 

“It is the dreariest valley that ever I be- 
held!” he said to himself. “And no place to 
mend my fiddle in ; but one would not like to 
go away without knowing what has come over 
the people, or if they have always worked so 
hard and heavily.” 

By this time the night again came on : he 
knew it by the clearing mist and the rising 
moon. The people began to hurry home in 
all directions. Silence came over house and 
field; and near the deserted cottage Merry- 
mind met the old man. 

“Good father,” he said, “I pray you tell me 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 281 


what sport or pastime have the people of this 
valley?’^ 

‘^Sport and pastime!” cried the old man, m 
great wrath. ^Where did you hear of the 
like? We work by day and sleep by night. 
There is no sport in Dame Dreary’s land!” 
and, with a hearty scolding for his idleness 
and levity, he left Merrymind to sleep once 
more in the cottage. 

That night the boy did not sleep so sound : 
though too drowsy to open his eyes, he was 
sure there had been singing and spinning near 
him all night; and, resolving to find out what 
this meant before he left the valley, Merry- 
mind ate the other half of his barley cake, 
drank again from the stream, and went out to 
see the country. 

The same heavy mist shut out sun and sky; 
the same hard work went forward wherever 
he turned his eyes; and the great old man with 
the dust-pannier strode on his accustomed 
round. Merrymind could find no one to an- 
swer a single question; rich and poor wanted 
him to work still more earnestly than the day 


282 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


before; and fearing that some of them might 
press him into service, he wandered away to 
the furthest end of the valley. 

There there was no work, for the land lay 
bare and lonely, and was bounded by grey 
crags, as high and steep as any castle-wall. 
There was no passage or outlet but through a 
great iron gate secured with a heavy padlock: 
close by it stood a white tent, and in the door 
a tall soldier, with one arm, stood smoking a 
long pipe. He was the first idle man Merry- 
mind had seen in the valley, and his face 
looked to him like that of a friend; so coming 
up with his best bow, the boy said : 

^^Honourable master soldier, please to tell 
me what country is this, and why do the people 
work so hard?’’ 

“Are you a stranger in this place, that you 
ask such questions?” answered the soldier. 

“Yes,” said Merrymind, “I came but the 
evening before yesterday.” 

“Then I am sorry for you, for here you must 
remain. My orders are to let everybody in 
and nobody out; and the giant with the dust- 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 283 

pannier guards the other entrance night and 
day,” said the soldier. 

^That is bad news,” said Merrymind, “but 
since I am here, please to tell me why were 
such laws made, and what is the story of this 
valley?” 

“Hold my pipe, and I will tell you,” said 
the soldier, “for nobody else will take the time. 
This valley belongs to the lady of yonder 
castle, whom, for seven times seven years, men 
have called Dame Dreary. She had another 
name in her youth — they called her Lady 
Littlecare; and then the valley was the fairest 
spot in all the north country. The sun shone 
brightest there; the summers lingered longest. 
Fairies danced on the hilltops; singing-birds 
sat on all the trees. Strongarm, the last of 
the giants, kept the pine-forest, and hewed 
yule logs out of it, when he was not sleeping 
in the sun. Two fair maidens, clothed in 
white, with silver wheels on their shoulders, 
came by night and spun golden threads by the 
hearth of every cottage. The people wore 
homespun, and drank out of horn; but they 


284 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

had merry times. There were May-games, 
harvest-homes, and Christmas cheer among 
them. Shepherds piped on the hillsides, reap- 
ers sang in the fields, and laughter came with 
the red firelight out of every house in the eve- 
ning. All that was changed, nobody knows 
how, for the old folks who remembered it are 
dead. Some say it was because of a magic 
ring which fell from the lady’s finger; some, 
because of a spring in the castle-court which 
went dry. However it was, the lady turned 
Dame Dreary. Hard work and hard times 
overspread the valley. The mist came down; 
the fairies departed; the giant Strongarm 
grew old, and took up a burden of dust; and 
the night-spinners were seen no more in any 
man’s dwelling. They say it will be so till 
Dame Dreary lays down her distaff, and 
dances; but all the fiddlers of the north coun- 
try have tried their merriest tunes to no pur- 
pose. The king is a wise prince and a great 
warrior. He has filled two treasure-houses, 
and conquered all his enemies ; but he cannot 
change the order of Dame Dreary’s land. I 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 285 

cannot tell you what great rewards he offered 
to one who could do it; but when no good 
came of his offers, the king feared that simi- 
lar fashions might spread among his people, 
and therefore made a law that whomsoever 
entered should not leave it. His majesty took 
me captive in war, and placed me here to keep 
the gate, and save his subjects trouble. If I 
had not brought my pipe with me, I should 
have been working as hard as any of them by 
this time, with my one arm. Young master, 
if you take my advice you will learn to smoke.” 

“If my fiddle were mended it would be bet- 
ter,” said Merrymind; and he sat talking with 
the soldier till the mist began to clear and the 
moon to rise, and then he went home to sleep 
in the deserted cottage. 

It was late when he came near it, and the 
moonlight looked lovely beside the misty day. 
Merrymind thought it was a good time for 
trying to get out of the valley. There was no 
foot abroad, and no appearance of the giant; 
but as Merrymind drew near to where the two 
paths met, there was he fast asleep beside a 


286 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


fire of pinecones, with his pannier at his 
head, and a heap of stones close by him. ‘Ts 
that your kitchen-fire?” thought the boy to 
himself, and he tried to steal past; but 
Strongarm started up, pursued him with 
stones, and called him bad names halfway 
back to the cottage. 

Merrymind was glad to run the whole way 
for fear of him. The door was still open, and 
the moon was shining in; but by the lifeless 
hearth there sat two fair maidens, all in white, 
spinning on silver wheels, and singing together 
a blithe and pleasant tune like the larks on 
May-morning. Merrymind could have list- 
ened all night, but suddenly he bethought him 
that these must be the night-spinners, whose 
threads would mend his fiddle; so, stepping 
with reverence and good courage, he said: 

“Honourable ladies, I pray you give a poor 
boy a thread to mend his fiddle-strings.” 

“For seven times seven years,” said the fair 
maidens, “have we spun by night in this de- 
serted cottage, and no mortal has seen or 
spoken to us. Go and gather sticks through 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 287 

all the valley to make a fire for us on this cold 
hearth, and each of us will give you a thread 
for your pains.’^ 

Merrymind took his broken fiddle with him, 
and went through all the valley gathering 
sticks by the moonlight; but so careful were 
the people of Dame Dreary’s land, that scarce 
a stick could be found, and the moon was 
gone and the misty day had come before he 
was able to come back with a small fagot. The 
cottage-door was still open; the fair maidens 
and their silver wheels were gone; but on the 
floor where they sat lay two long threads of 
gold. 

Merrymind first heaped up his fagot on the 
hearth, to be ready against their coming at 
night, and next took up the golden threads to 
mend his fiddle. Then he learned the truth 
of the little man’s saying at the fair, for no 
sooner were the strings fastened with those 
golden threads than they became firm. The 
old dingy fiddle, too, began to shine and glis- 
ten, and at length it was golden also. This 
sight made Merrymind so joyful that, un- 


288 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 


learned as he was in music, the boy tried to 
play. Scarce had his bow touched the strings 
when they began to play of themselves the 
same blithe and pleasant tune which the night- 
spinners sang together. 

^^Some of the workers will stop for the sake 
of this tune,” said Merrymind, and he went 
out along the valley with his fiddle. The mu- 
sic filled the air; the busy people heard it; 
and never was such a day seen in Dame 
Dreary’s land. The men paused in their delv- 
ing, the women stopped their scrubbing; the 
little children dropped their work; and every- 
one stood still in their places while Merry- 
mind and his fiddle passed on. When he 
came to the castle, the coopers cast down their 
tools in the court; the churning and cheese- 
making ceased in the banquet hall; the looms 
and spinning-wheels stopped in the principal 
chambers; and Dame Dreary’s distaff stood 
still in her hand. 

Merrymind played through the halls and 
up the tower-stairs. As he came near, the dame 
cast down her distaff, and danced with all her 


THE STORY OF MERRYMIND 289 

might. All her maidens did the like; and as 
they danced she grew young again — the sour- 
ness passed from her looks, and the greyness 
from her hair. They brought her the dress 
of white and cherry colour she used to wear 
in her youth, and she was no longer Dame 
Dreary, but the Lady Littlecare, with golden 
hair, and laughing eyes, and cheeks like sum- 
mer roses. 

Then a sound of merrymaking came up 
from the whole valley. The heavy mist rolled 
away from the hills; the sun shone out; the 
blue sky was seen; a clear spring gushed up 
in the castle-court; a white falcon came from 
the east with a golden ring, and put it on the 
lady’s finger. After that Strongarm broke the 
rope, tossed the pannier of dust from his 
shoulder, and lay down to sleep in the sun. 
That night the fairies danced on the hill-tops; 
and the night-spinners, with their silver 
wheels, were seen by every hearth, and no 
more in the deserted cottage. Everybody 
praised Merrymind and his fiddle; and when 
news of his wonderful playing came to the 


290 THE GARNET STORY BOOK 

king’s ears, he commanded the iron gate to be 
taken away; he made the captive soldier a 
freeman; and promoted Merrymind to be his 
first fiddler, which under that wise monarch 
was the highest post in his kingdom. 

As soon as Merrymind’s family and neigh- 
bours heard of the high preferment his fiddle 
had gained for him, they thought music must 
be a good thing, and man, woman, and child 
took to fiddling. It is said that none of them 
ever learned to play a single tune except Mer- 
rymind’s mother, on whom her son bestowed 
great presents. 


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